- Notices
Office Visit by Students and Professionals from Central Asia and Caucasus Region and Lectures on International Investment Law and Competition Law
As part of the MIRAI Program, Group 6 (Rule of Law), undergraduate and graduate students, as well as working professionals from eight countries in the Central Asia and Caucasus region, visited our office (Nishimura & Asahi (Gaikokuho Kyodo Jigyo)) on Thursday, January 18, 2024. The MIRAI Program is an international exchange program promoted by the Japanese Government, the purpose of which is to enhance interaction between people from all over the world and to facilitate a better understanding of Japan. During this visit, lectures on international investment law and competition law were held by Tokyo counsel Yukiko Tomimatsu and Tokyo associate Junichi Shingai, two lawyers from our firm.
The titles of the lectures were “International Investment Law – Sustainability in Energy” by Yukiko Tomimatsu and “International Relations from a Competition Law Perspective” by Junichi Shingai. The participants asked many questions, and we had a lively discussion.
The session provided the participants with knowledge of legal practice in Japan, international investment agreements, and competition law, and also gave them a deeper understanding of promoting the rule of law.
Shimpei Ishido has been active in the field of international trade matters and international investment disputes for many years. He advises and represents governments and major corporations with regard to investment arbitration under ICSID, ICC, and UNCITRAL arbitration rules. He currently serves as a member of the Japanese delegation to UNCITRAL Working Group III (Investor–State Dispute Settlement Reform). He also advises the government and corporations regarding anti-dumping and countervailing measures and WTO dispute settlements proceedings concerning such trade remedy measures.
In addition, he usually provides his clients with general advice on a variety of international law issues, including investment protection, economic sanctions, government procurement, trade in services, e-commerce, sovereign and diplomatic immunities, law of the sea, and space law. His client engagement in these fields of international law includes:
i) capacity-building training on international investment law and trade in services to government officials of various states in the Asia-Pacific Region and Central Asia;
ii) advice on government procurement procedures covered by GPA and FTA/EPAs;
iii) advice on sovereign or diplomatic immunities issues concerning contracts between a foreign government/international organisation and a private entity;
iv) advice on international law issues arising from private entities' exploration of space resources on the Moon and other celestial bodies.
Before joining Nishimura & Asahi, he led, as legal counsel to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the negotiation of Japan’s international investment agreements, including the investment and trade in services chapters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Japan–EU EPA, the ASEAN–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Japan–Australia EPA, the Japan-Mongolia EPA, and the Japan–Mozambique BIT.
He received an LLM in international law from University College London.