Kenji Utsumi

Practice Areas

Kenji Utsumi is a partner at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. He regularly counsels domestic and foreign clients on a variety of general corporate and other legal matters.

Mr. Utsumi has advised clients, as their main legal counsel, on large transactions, particularly real estate transactions and transactions in the life sciences industry, several of which have been awarded as the "Deal of the Year in Japan" in their particular categories.

Mr. Utsumi regularly counsels a number of listed J-REIT clients as well as non- listed private REITs and real estate private equity funds on a wide range of matters including asset acquisitions, formation, public offerings, M&A and restructuring of REITs and real estate private equity funds. Mr. Utsumi has substantial experience with respect to real estate private equity funds and has represented real estate fund managers, fund investors, lenders and tenants, and was informed that he is known as “the lawyer who has assisted his clients in acquiring the largest amount of real estates in Japan.”

Mr. Utsumi also regularly represents domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies, as their main legal counsel, on domestic and cross-border regulatory matters, M&A and joint venture transactions, litigations and provides advice on a variety of other legal matters. Mr. Utsumi's expertise particularly encompasses pharmaceutical and life science regulations.

In addition to his private practice, Mr. Utsumi teaches Civil Case Law at The University of Tokyo School of Law as an Visiting Professor of Law, and is a Japan Chapter Board Member of the Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA).

Career

1992

The University of Tokyo (LL.B.)

1994-

Nagashima & Ohno (currently Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu)

1999

University of Pennsylvania Law School (LL.M.)

1999-2000

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Los Angeles

2003-present

Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu

2022 - present

Visitng Professor of Law, The University of Tokyo School of Law

2023-present

Japan Chapter Board Member, Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA)

Publications

Chambers Global Practice Guides Life Sciences 2022 Japan – Law & Practice, published by Chambers (Co-author)

Medicinal product regulation and product liability in Japan: overview (2020), published by Practical Law - Thomson Reuters (Co-author)

Getting the Deal Through – Real Estate 2016 Japan, published by Law Business Research Ltd (Co-author)

Advanced New Companies Act, 3rd edition, published by Shojihomu (Co-author)

Lawyers’ contributions to real estate transactions, The Lawyers, May 2006

Overcoming the risks of choosing real estate for investment trusts - The IFLR Guide to Japan 2004, published by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (Co-author)

The development of Japanese real estate investment trusts - The IFLR Guide to Japan 2003, published by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (Co-author)

The Business Judgment Rule and Shareholder Derivative Suits in Japan, published by New York International Law Review

Introduction to the US Real Estate Transactions - Journal of The Japanese Institute of International Business Law, Vol.28 No.11