How Japanese Companies Can Respond to Anti-ESG Pressures

Susan (“Suz”) co-chairs the ESG + Sustainability and Social Enterprise + Impact Investing practices. Her practice focuses on late-stage financings, secondaries, and other corporate transactions for investors, such as SoftBank and Temasek, and on investments for some of the top investors dedicated to impact, from “impact first” foundations to family offices to private equity funds. She co-led the drafting group for the first of the new corporate forms (the Social Purpose Corporation in California), has created hybrid/tandem corporate structures and crafted debt and equity instruments that blend impact with traditional financial terms, and has used corporate law to develop creative capital market solutions to pressing environmental problems. She also advises the boards of public and private companies on corporate governance and fiduciary duties as applied to sustainability and climate change.

She was named a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) in 2012 and 2016 by Daily Journal and the Most Innovative Lawyer in North America in 2015 by the Financial Times.

Takahiro Nonaka is a partner of Morrison Foerster Law Offices. He focuses his practice on government and internal investigations, including anti-corruption, antitrust, employee misconduct, and data privacy issues. He also works on both cross-border dispute resolution and domestic general commercial litigation.

He has represented multinational companies in their negotiations with government officials, mass media, and other associated investigative agencies. His work also includes conducting internal investigations and training, researching relevant regulations and guidelines, and drafting internal codes and policies.

He has worked with many multinational companies on U.S. antitrust law and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, data privacy issues in the EU and other jurisdictions, and cross-border disputes, particularly related to tort claims and product liability in Japan and the United States, collaborating with counsel in each jurisdiction. His practice also focuses on domestic general commercial litigation, including system development contracts, real estate lease agreements, and various types of labor disputes. In addition, he regularly advises clients on employment, trade and export control compliance issues, and business criminal defense matters.

Monica oversees the research and stakeholder engagement in Japan at InfluenceMap. Previously, Monica was a researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) focusing on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen policy. She holds a Double Masters in Environmental Policy and Energy from Sciences Po and International Relations from Peking University, and a BA in Environment and Information Studies from Keio University. Co-Founder and Director at Stand With Ukraine Japan.

Dylan founded InfluenceMap in 2015 and has overall responsibility for its global operations. Prior to this, Dylan established a market-leading environmental consultancy in Tokyo which is now ERM Japan. Dylan grew and led a 50-person team engaging in a wide variety of corporate and technical advisory work in Japan and Asia covering environmental audits, land remediation, corporate sustainability, and climate strategies. Dylan grew up in Japan and is currently living in London. He holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics from Kings College London.