Mori Hamada & Matsumoto held a seminar, and hosted a reception afterward, at IMPERIAL HOTEL, Tokyo on November 19, 2008. The seminar was made up of three sessions including lectures and panel discussions concerning "Risks in China after the Beijing Olympics lie in the Antimonopoly Law" in session 1, "Information Management Required by Financial Institutions" in session 2, and "Emission Trading Frontier" in session 3. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all guests who took part in the seminar and reception.

The panelists discussed what influence the regulations under the Chinese Antimonopoly Law against cartels, resale price maintenance, abuse of a dominant market position, and other illegal acts exert on the Chinese business scene through analyzing practices in the U.S, Europe and Japan, and sought out necessary measures.

In merger and acquisition transactions between global businesses, there are times when a notification not only to the authorities of Japan but also to the relevant major foreign countries is required, and China is no exception. In this session, the panelists discussed instances in which global businesses need to file a notification under the Chinese Antimonopoly Law and sought out specific responses, and the swift and thorough action required in comparison with the anti-trust notification procedures in the U.S. and European countries.

The Amended Financial Instruments and Exchange Law, which will take full effect by June 2009, urges the implementation of advanced information management to prevent any adverse effects from easing firewall restrictions in each field such as banking, securities, and insurance. It is a big issue particularly for financial institutions who must develop a group-wide system to protect the interests of customers, including handling private information, managing conflict of interest transactions, and preventing abuse of a dominant bargaining position. With these rapid changes in the legal environment for information management required by financial institutions, panelists discussed the latest development and key points for practical responses.