Yuji Okuma
Director
WIPO Japan Office
Mr. Yuji Okuma was appointed to his current post, Director of the WIPO Japan Office in February 2015. Since then he has led his team to promote WIPO Premium Services (PCT, Madrid and Hague system), WIPO databases and WIPO Platforms such as WIPO Green and Re:Serach to Japanese companies and institutions. With his team’s efforts, PCT filings from Japan in 2015 increased by 4.4 % over 2014, and Madrid is up by 6%. His team also successfully launched Hague system promotion in 2015 in Japan. Mr. Okuma spent most of his career at the Japan Patent Office in positions including acting as an Administrative Judge at the Board of Appeal, Director of the patent examination group, Director of Technical Cooperation for Patent Offices in Asian countries and a study-fellow at the European Patent Office. He also worked for the PCT division at WIPO in Geneva from 1999 to 2002. These experiences have enriched his expertise in, and positively contribute to, international patent systems, Patent Judgment practices at the Board of Appeal, and Patent Information.  He has a Bachelor of Engineering from Kyusyu University, Japan. 

Denise Main, Ph.D.
Partner
Finnegan
Denise Main is a partner in Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP’s Washington, DC office. She focuses on U.S. district court and appellate litigation, with particular experience related to the Hatch-Waxman Act governing the approval of pharmaceutical drugs. She manages day-to-day litigation activities in actions involving multiple parties. Dr. Main's broad experience includes conducting offensive and defensive discovery, drafting and arguing dispositive motions, taking and defending witnesses in court, drafting trial and appellate briefs, conducting U.S. and foreign prosecution, and preparing patent applications and ex parte reexaminations.

York M. Faulkner
Partner
Finnegan
York Faulkner is a partner in Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP’s Reston, Virginia office. He is a veteran trial lawyer with more than 20 years' experience handling high-stakes litigation across a variety of industries, including multi-billion dollar Hatch-Waxman pharmaceutical patent litigations. He has first-chaired cases to verdict in numerous jury and bench trials and guided litigation teams through contentious pretrial proceedings, emphasizing client participation in strategic and cost-sensitive decision-making throughout each case. Mr. Faulkner began his career as a criminal prosecutor in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. During his four years at Justice, he tried 16 cases to verdict before juries, obtaining convictions on such charges as obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, tax evasion, false claims for tax refunds, and filing of false income tax returns. In his IP practice, Mr. Faulkner employs the skills acquired at Justice—simplifying the complex for the benefit of the fact finder.

Naoki Yoshida
Partner
Finnegan
Naoki Yoshida is managing partner of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP’s Tokyo office. He handles a broad range of intellectual property matters, including litigation, patent portfolio management, intellectual property due diligence, licensing and negotiations, patent prosecution, and post grant review proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He represents both domestic and foreign clients in patent infringement actions before U.S. district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

Louise C. Stoupe
Partner
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Louise Stoupe is deputy chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Trial Practice Group and a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. Ms. Stoupe’s practice is focused on intellectual property and complex commercial disputes. She is a trial lawyer, recognized expert in e-discovery and arbitration specialist. Praised by her clients as "very smart and quick to understand”, Ms. Stoupe is a highly regarded counselor to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Ms. Stoupe also is a co-author of the Japan chapter of the Global Guide to Intellectual Property and the Internet.

Ms. Stoupe has been recognized for her cutting-edge work for Japanese clients and in 2008 was the second youngest person on the “Top 50 Under 45” list published by IP Law & Business. Ms. Stoupe is ranked in the current editions of Chambers Global (2016) and Chambers Asia Pacific (2016) for dispute resolution. She is honorably mentioned in the 2016 edition of Legal 500 Asia Pacific for intellectual property and dispute resolution and has been recognized by the Japan edition of Best Lawyers in the category of Intellectual Property since the 2010 edition.

Ms. Stoupe is licensed to practice law in California, England and Wales, and New Zealand. 

Ms. Stoupe obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honors) from the University of Auckland. While practicing commercial and international litigation in New Zealand, she obtained a Masters of Commercial Law (First Class Honors), graduating at the top of her class. In 1999, she was awarded the Fulbright Buddle Findlay Award to study for a Masters of Law at Duke University. Before moving to the Tokyo office in 2001, Ms. Stoupe was a member of the litigation department in the firm’s Palo Alto office.

Eric D. Kirsch
IP Chief Counsel
Nikon Corporation
Eric D. Kirsch has been IP Chief Counsel of Nikon Corporation since 2010. Before joining Nikon, Mr. Kirsch was a partner in a New York law firm specializing in Intellectual Property Litigation and an Assistant District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia.Mr. Kirsch holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. degree cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served on the University of Pittsburgh Law Review.

Naoya Bessho
Corporate Officer EVP
Corporate Management Group
General Counsel
Public Relations
Yahoo Japan Corporation
After he obtained L.L.M degree at Keio University, Faculty of Law, he joined Mochida Pharmaceutical Co in 1981 and worked as a manager of legal division.  In 1999, he joined Yahoo! Japan and has been General Counsel since April 2000.

He is in charge of any and all legal matters relation to the company, such as corporate governance, compliance, contracts, labor law issues and public policy and so on.  Especially, as General Counsel of a leading internet company in Japan he has been involved in public policy and government relation issues and currently serves as members of several governmental committees.

Timothy Hewitt
Legal Director, Asia
Colt Technology Services 
Fluent in Japanese and having spent many years living and practicing as an attorney in Asia-Pacific, Tim is recognized for his nuanced and strategic legal advice, particularly for telecommunications/IT transactions in Asia. Tim is member of Colt’s Asia management team and manages a team of lawyers who support Colt to overcome legal and regulatory hurdles to implement sophisticated global IT/network solutions for its customers and expand its industry-leading information delivery platform throughout and beyond Asia.

Raymond A. Psonak
Senior Counsel
Line Corporation
Raymond is a US-licensed attorney based in Japan for the last seven years, during which he has been managing legal issues for rapidly globalizing Japanese technology companies. He has experience advising in a variety of IT sectors including mobile games, instant messaging, social networking, SNS and technology platform development. He has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating complex international contracts, investments and licensing arrangements, and has advised on M&A strategies and on complying with the securities laws of the US, Japan and other markets. He has also assisted Japanese companies with creating and developing their internal compliance, governance and training systems to match and exceed global standards, particularly in areas of Competition Law, Personal Data Protection, Insider Trading, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering. Prior to his time in Japan, he practiced law in New York City for nearly a decade specializing in class action litigation and internal investigations at a large global law firm, and clerking for a Federal Judge in Manhattan. 

Hiroaki MATSUMOTO
Director
Consultation and Guidance Office
Trade Practice Department, Economic Affairs Bureau, JFTC

Education:
Bachelor of Laws, University of Tokyo

Working Experience:
1994　 Joined a Private enterprise
2003    Joined the Fair Trade Commission of Japan (JFTC)
2011    Co-ordination supervisor, Chubu Office
2012    Senior Planning Officer, Legal System Planning Division, Consumer Affairs Agency
2015    Director, Consultation and Guidance Office, Trade Practice Department, Economic Affairs Bureau, JFTC

James Moynihan
Director
Intellectual Property Department/Japan Office
Louis Vuitton Company
James Moynihan is a former prosecutor in the State of New York, Monroe County District Attorney`s office from 1979-1981; FBI special agent attorney with the FBI/Department of Justice from 1981-2006; Director of Security for Shinsei Bank, Japan, from 2006-2007. He has been the  Director, Intellectual Property Department/Japan office, Louis Vuitton Company, Tokyo, Japan since June 2007. James has a BA Degree from University of Notre Dame, USA and a JDL Degree from University of Dayton Law School, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.

Seiji Mori
Head of Operations (IP)
Intellectual Property Dept
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Seiji Mori is Head of Operations (IP) of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. He has been working for Takeda for 27 years and his entire carrier at Takeda is in IP field. He started the career with trademark practices and branding supports provided for marketing/commercial teams, where, among others, he strived to pursue global brand names for Takeda's products, endeavoring to establish global naming policy and process. In the trademark career, he experienced working at a UK IP firm in a training program.  From the year of 2008, his coverage was extended into other areas such as employee inventor remuneration issues, IP transfer and ownership rules within Takeda group companies, patent portfolio management, copyrights, trade secrets, and public/policy affairs. For example, he successfully solved a lawsuit and disputes in relation to the inventor remuneration. Alongside the above, he has been leading operational management of Takeda IP group which consists of around 120 people located in USA, Switzerland, Germany, UK and Japan.  From 2012 –2014, he was a steering committee member of IP committee of JPMA (Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association).  He has a Bachelor of Law from Tsukuba University, Japan.

Kenichi Nagasawa
Managing Executive Officer
Group Executive
Corporate Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters, Canon Inc
Kenichi Nagasawa was appointed to the Head of the Intellectual Property and Legal Headquarters, Canon Inc. in April 2010.

After graduating from the Department of Engineering of Doshisya University, Mr. Nagasawa joined Canon Inc. in 1981 and he has been engaged in Intellectual Property Division since then. 

After many experience in patent prosecution, Mr. Nagasawa was loan to Canon Europe Ltd. from 2001 to 2006 as a Head of Intellectual Property Group. During his stay in Europe, he established IP management system for Canon’s affiliates in Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. Having served as Senior General Manager of Intellectual Property Technology Center for 2 years from 2006, Mr. Nagasawa was transferred to Canon U.S.A. Inc. as a Head of Intellectual Property Division from 2008 to February 2010. After returning, Mr. Nagasawa served as the Director, Member of the Board, and in March 2016, Mr.Nagasawa became a Managing Executive Officer of Canon Inc..

Mr. Nagasawa serves as a member of Committee on Intellectual Property of Keidanren, and serves as a member of the Evaluation, Planning and Verification Committee of the Government’s Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters from November 2013, and serves as the President of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) of Japan, where he has made contribution to the progress of AIPPI Japan’s presence.

Mr. Nagaswa also serves as a member of several Intellectual Property subcommittees of METI Industrial Structure Council, and has been a speaker at several universities, law schools and professional graduate schools giving lectures about his experiences for fostering IP human resources.

In 2015, Mr.Nagasawa was officially commended of “Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office Awards” of “Intellectual Property Achievement Awards” by Japan Patent Office.