Asia Pacific

On April 19 2019, the Financial Services Agency of Japan published the Cabinet Order to Partially Amend the Order for Enforcement of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (draft). Of these proposed amendments, this article examines the amendment concerning disclosure regulations that relate to share compensation. Please note that, as of May 31 2019, the effective date of the proposed amendments has not been announced, and the content of the proposed amendments may change.

On November 30 2018, partial amendments to the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Notary Act (Amended Ordinance) came into force. The Amended Ordinance aims to identify the beneficial owners of companies and improve transparency in order to prevent money laundering or terrorism financing activities. According to the Amended Ordinance, when making an application to a notary for the authentication of articles of association to incorporate new joint-stock companies (kabushiki-kaisha), general incorporated associations (ippan-shadan-houjin) or general incorporated foundations (ippan-zaidan-houjin), applicants must declare to the notary: (i) the beneficial owner of the company; and, (ii) that the beneficial owner is neither a member of criminal organisations nor an international terrorist, and where there is any reasonable doubt the notary will request the applicant to provide explanations.

Beijing-based Norton Rose Fulbright partner Barbara Li explains what China’s new foreign direct investment rules mean for foreign companies entering one of the world’s biggest marketplaces