Attorney Profiles

Kanako Osawa’s practice mainly focuses on international matters. She has extensive experience in the area of international insolvency as well as rich experience advising clients on a wide range of international business transactions and ancillary matters such as with respect to business alliances, licensing and product supply between Japanese and foreign companies.
Drawing from her experience as an Outside Director and Audit and Supervisory Committee member of a listed company, she counsels clients on a variety of corporate law matters.
Some of her professional experiences include the following:

Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Insolvency

• Representation of certain creditors in the global restructuring of Takata Corporation (then listed on the 1st section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange), 2017
• Counsel for court-appointed examiner in the corporate reorganization of Elpida Memory, Inc. (then listed on the 1st section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange)
• Filing of the civil rehabilitation of CRE, Inc., 2010
• Filing of the corporate reorganization of Tosco Co., Ltd (then listed on the 2nd section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange), 2008
• Special counsel for the official committee of unsecured creditors of Azabu Buildings company Ltd. in the US Chapter 11 proceeding , 2006
  
  In addition, she has been involved in numerous civil rehabilitation proceedings as court-appointed supervisor and in bankruptcy cases as court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.

Competition Law

• Involvement in a DOJ investigation against a Japanese corporation in liaison with US counsel
• Involvement in an investigation by the Indian competition authority against a Japanese corporation in liaison with Indian counsel and assistance with related litigation
• Advice on compliance with EU competition law regarding a joint venture between a Japanese corporation and a European corporation in collaboration with EU counsel

Corporate

• Assistance with drafting, reviewing and negotiation of various business contracts such as those with respect to business alliances, licensing and product supply between Japanese and foreign corporations
• Advice on domestic M&As, business alliances, shareholder meetings and other corporate matters
• Advice on internal control systems and corporate governance

Education

• New York University School of Law (LL.M in Corporation Law), 2004
• University of Pennsylvania Law School (LL.M), 2003
• The Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan, 1998
• Waseda University (LL.B in Law), 1993

Admissions and Certifications

• Admitted in New York, 2005-
• Admitted in Japan, 1998- (Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association)

Other Activities and Memberships

• Executive Director, Japanese Association for Business Recovery, May 2023-
• Outside Company Auditor of Toshiba Tec Corporation, July 2022-
• Outside Company Auditor of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., March 2022-
• Director, Member of the board of TPR Co., Ltd., June 2021-
• Committee Member for Reform of Collateral Law in Legislative Counsil of Department of the Ministry of Justice, April 2021-
• Deputy Chairman of the Committee on the Insolvency Law System, Japan Federation of Bar Associations, 2018-
• Outside Director and Audit and Supervisory Committee member of Lintec Corporation, 2015-

Publications

Co-authored

• Amendment to the Collateral Law and Business Recovery, Shoji-homu, 2024
• The Diversification of Business Reorganizations, Shoji-homu, 2017
• “Preparing for the Amendment of the Civil Code – Ideas on the revision of model contracts based on the amended provisions – “Business Homu”, Chuo-Keizaisha, September 2017
• Liquidation of Assets by the Bankruptcy Trustee, Shoji-homu, 2015
• 120 Q&As on the Practice of Corporate Reorganization, Kinyu-zaisei-jijo-kenkyu-kai, 2013
• Q&A on the Main Points of Financial Instruments and Exchange Law, Shin-nihon-hoki, 2007
• 2001 Amendment of the Commercial Code – Q&A on Treasury Stock and Unit Stock – Chuo-keizaisha, 2002
• Everything about Business Reorganization, Shoji-homu-kenkyu-kai, 2001
  
  All publications are in Japanese.

Articles, Journals

• Commentary to the Interim Draft of New Security Interest (Joto-Tanpo) and its Impact on Insolvency Proceedings (LIBERTY & JUSTICE vol.74 No.6 June 2023)

Presentations

• Panelist in "Insolvency and New Collateral Laws", Symposium on insolvency law by Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association, Tokyo Bar Association, Daini Tokyo Bar Association and Osaka Bar Association, April 2024
• Panelist in "Amendment to the Collateral Law and Business Recovery" (Japanese Association for Business Recovery Symposium, May 2023)
• Presentation on the insolvency proceeding of Takata Corporation as a panelist of “Navigating through the turbulent waters of group insolvencies”, Insolvency Section of IBA annual conference 2018
• Panelist in “Re-examination of court procedures for insolvency from the viewpoint of comparative law”, Symposium on insolvency law by Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association, Tokyo Bar Association, Daini Tokyo Bar Association and Osaka Bar Association, 2018