**Hybrid Event**

English Program

In 2018 the US Congress passed new legislation which significantly increased scrutiny of foreign direct investment by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The new law and a subsequent executive order have particularly serious implications for foreign investments in Silicon Valley start-ups because they lower the threshold of investments that can trigger CFIUS jurisdiction, and also expand the range of business activities that can result in CFIUS review – in particular, production of “critical technology,” involvement in “critical infrastructure,” and maintaining “sensitive personal data.” In addition, under the new law some CFIUS filings are now mandatory, with civil penalties for not making required filings.

To learn more about the implementation of the new law now in its fifth year and its implications for Japanese investors in Bay Area companies, please join the Japan Society of Northern California for a hybrid in-person and online presentation on March 14 (Tuesday) in the US and March 15 (Wednesday) in Japan. We have a great panel of experts who will share perspectives of government regulators, attorneys, and investors with our audience.

This program will cover:

• The impact of CFIUS regulations on Japanese, Chinese and other foreign investors in Silicon Valley companies
• How to know if an investment will be subject to review
• Timelines and processes for successfully completing a review
• How investors can adapt their portfolio strategy in light of CFIUS
• Examples of how specific companies have navigated the process with technology startups in the Bay Area

We are delighted to introduce David Plotinsky and Toshi Otani as our two fantastic speakers. David Plotinsky from Morgan Lewis is the former acting chief of the US Department of Justice’s Foreign Investment Review Section, who led DOJ’s work on some of the most sensitive and complex CFIUS cases, and who now represents venture capital and private equity investors and global technology companies in CFIUS and other national security issues. Toshi Otani is a Japanese venture capital investor who has been investing in Bay Area start-ups for many decades.

____

Our Amazing Speaker:

David Plotinsky | Partner, Morgan Lewis
David’s work for clients brings to bear almost 25 years of federal government service.  Most recently, he served as acting Chief, and also as Principal Deputy Chief, of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Foreign Investment Review Section, which is housed in DOJ’s National Security Division.  In that role, among other duties David led the Section’s participation on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS); DOJ’s leadership of the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector (CAFPUSTSS, more commonly known as Team Telecom); compliance and enforcement matters arising from CFIUS and Team Telecom cases; and policy issues regarding national security reviews of U.S. outbound investment. Read more HERE.

Moderator:

Larry Greenwood | Board Chair, Japan Society of Northern California & Senior Advisor, BowerGroupAsia
Larry Greenwood is a consultant advising on government relations and international economic policy, with expertise in trade, finance, development, and Asia. Larry was a career diplomat from 1976 to 2006 and served in a variety of positions in the State Department in Washington, D.C., and at U.S. embassies in Manila, Dakar, Tokyo, and Singapore. After retiring from the Foreign Service, he worked as vice president at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines, where he oversaw loan and grant operations in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island countries, and as Senior Managing Director for government relations in Asia for MetLife based in Tokyo. After moving to the Bay Area in 2015 he joined the BowerGroupAsia and served as President of the Japan Society of Northern California from 2016-2019.

–

In cooperation with:

Program Generously Sponsored By: