Brilliantly organised by ICC Arbitration and ICC Japan, the one-day conference gathered nearly 200 leading legal practitioners and industry professionals for a full-day discussion on the latest developments in international arbitration in Japan and across North Asia.

Regional CEO Benjamin Highfield was accompanied by Asia Pacific service line leads, Technical Expert Dr. Kourosh Kayvani and Damages Expert Jonathan Humphrey, as well as Quantum Expert, Scott Ramsden at the inaugural event. The team was thrilled to connect and catch up with industry peers in Tokyo.

Quantum Expert, Scott Ramsden, was glad to join as a speaker on the panel discussion on ‘The Keystones of Cross-border Dispute Prevention and Resolution: Arbitration in Plant and Construction Industry’. Scott presented the key findings on the top causes of claims and disputes on engineering and construction projects from our latest CRUX Insight Report: Battling the Headwinds. The panel also had a lively discussion on the strategic use of arbitration for cross-border disputes and shared tips on dispute prevention and resolution for Japanese construction firms who are involved in mega international projects.

The panel was expertly moderated by Naoki Iguchi, Partner and Attorney at Law of Nagashima Ohno and Tsunematsu, Tokyo. Scott was joined by Tony Dymond, Partner of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, London/Hong Kong, Masaichi Ito, Chief Manager, International Legal Section of Taisei Corporation, Tokyo, Satoshi Kurata, General Counsel & Executive Officer, Solicitor of England & Wales of JGC Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, and Shintaro Uno, Partner, Attorney at Law and Co-Representative of Singapore Office of Nishimura & Asahi LLP.

Reflecting on the conference, Benjamin shared, “After all these years, Japan continues to be the world’s third-largest economy and one of the world’s largest sources of foreign direct investment. We are excited and honoured to be a part of the efforts to reinvigorate the arbitration space in Japan, especially with Japanese construction firms frequently involved in multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects worldwide. The team was glad to gain further insights into how we can better support our Japanese clients in achieving their desired outcomes.“

HKA would like to thank the event organisers for arranging such a grand and successful event, and we appreciate all the attendees and friends we have caught up with at the conference. The team is looking forward to seeing everyone again soon in Japan.

Credits to ICC Arbitration and 国際商業会議所日本委員会 (ICC Japan) for the event photos.