Ohara & Furukawa, Author at Ohara & Furukawa

January 16, 2017

When can rent on property be raised in Japan?

In Japan, traditionally rent is not raised every year and there are there are only 4 statutorily recognized situations where rent may be adjusted. The Act on Land and Building Leases lists the 4 situations: 1) property taxes have increased or decreased, 2) property values have increased or decreased, 3) some other change in the economic situation, & 4) the rent is inappropriate compared with other properties in the area. Barring one of these 4 situations, rent should not be adjusted either up or down. However, situation #3 (change in economic situation) is very vague and can be used to […]

January 12, 2017

What is a share certificate?

While not all companies issued them, share certificates were sometimes created by companies in Japan when issuing stock. The certificates acted as physical proof of the ownership of the shares and transfer of a share certificate generally was legally recognized as transfer of the equivalent amount of company stock.

January 10, 2017

Can a product of nature be patented?

For an invention to be patentable under Japanese law, the invention must have been “created.” Creation requires some sort of human intervention in the process of generating the invention. Therefore, simply discovering a natural product does not count as “creation” and natural products cannot generally be patented.

January 5, 2017

Are pet owners in Japan responsible for damage caused by their pets?

Owning a pet in Japan requires the owner to exercise good care and judgment in caring for the pet. The owner of a pet in Japan is generally liable for the damages caused by the animal, including medical bills or property damage, although there are exceptions.