Kenji Fukuda

Partner, Attorney at Law (Admitted in Japan and New York State), Member of Daini Tokyo Bar Association

He specializes in a wide range of general civil litigations and domestic relations cases (including debt recovery, claims for damages, inheritance), administrative cases, compensation for nuclear damages, and cases involving foreign nationals.

Registered Attorney of New York State, his expertise includes legal consultations, contract drafting and international legal liaison in English. At the same time, through the positions of an academic assistant at Waseda Law School and a part-time instructor at Tsuda University, he possesses deep knowledge of the field of law. Logical and persuasive, a tough negotiator with solid analytical ability and firm base in the knowledge of law.

Education and Professional Background

2000 : Graduated from Kyoto University, Faculty of Law
2000 : Joined Mekong Watch Japan, specified non-profit corporation (till 2004)
2006 : Completed LLM program at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
2007 : Graduated from Waseda Law School Registered as Attorney of New York State
2007 : Appointed as Secretary General of Mekong Watch Japan, specified non-profit corporation (till 2008)
2009 : Registered as attorney at law in Japan, joined The Hibiki Law Office as associate
2010 : Joined Tokyo Surugadai Law Offices as associate
2013 : Participated as one of the founding partners of Waseda Legal Commons, LPC
2014 : Joined Faculty of Law, Waseda University as a research assistant (till 2017)
2017 : Joined Tsuda University as a part-time lecturer

Practice Areas

Nuclear power plant accident relief (Damage claims against TEPCO), investment damage relief, damages claims (including traffic accidents, death from overwork, work-related accidents), cases involving foreign nationals, administrative cases, and so on.

Membership and Official Positions

Member of the Committee on International Relations, and Secretary General of the International Legal Cooperation Center of the Committee on International Relations, Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Member of Headquarter for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Power Plant Accident, Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Special Member of the Committee on Pollution Control and Preservation of the Environment, Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Member of the Environmental Preservation Committee, Daini Tokyo Bar Association

Publications

【Book】
White Paper on Nuclear Power Plant Evacuation” (co-author, Jinbunshoin, 2015), edited by Institute for Disaster Reconstruction System Research, Kwansei Gakuin University, et al.
The Right to Evacuate, Each Person’s Choice” (co-author, Iwanami Shoten, 2012) (in Japanese)
A Manual for Nuclear Power Plant Accidents and Damage Compensation” (co-author, Nippon Kajo Shuppan, 2011) (in Japanese).
【Articles】
Global Trends of Coal-Fired Power Generation and Issues of Environmental Assessment in Japan,” Kankyo to Seigi (Environment and Justice) (January/February 2018)
Trends in Overseas Climate Change Litigation,” Climate Network Communications, No. 116 (September 2017)
“Does Nuclear Regulatory Reform Affect Civil Injunction Litigation – In Response to the Takagi Paper,” Journal of Environmental Law, No. 5 (2016)
Nuclear Accidents and the Right to Evacuation,” Law Jiho, Vol. 88, No. 4 (2016) (co-author)
Need of Rights-Based Approach in Government Support for the Victims of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident, Asia-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, Vol. 16(2) (2015)
‘The Nuclear Accident and Children’s Rights,’ Science of Law, Vol. 46 (2015)
“Development Assistance and Environmental Protection in Asia: from the Intersection of Environmental Assistance and Environmental Consideration,” Environmental Law and Policy in Asia and Japan (Journal of the Society for Environmental Law and Policy Studies, No. 18) (2015)
Trampled on the ‘Right to Avoid Radiation Exposure’: Questioning the Basic Policy of the ‘Act on Support for Children and Victims of Nuclear Power Plant Accidents’,” Sekai Zokan ICHIEF Crisis (2014) (co-author)
Seeking the Right to Avoid Radiation Exposure: Activities and Future of the Lawyers’ Network to Protect Children in Fukushima,” JCLU Newsletter, No. 386 (2013)
Why the ‘Right to Avoid Radiation Exposure’ Will Not Materialize: The ‘Nuclear Power Plant Accident Child Survivors Support Law’ Being Shaken to the Ground,” Sekai, September 2013 (co-author, Iwanami Shoten) (in Japanese).
Establishing the ‘Right to Avoid Radiation Exposure’: Possibilities and Challenges of the ‘Nuclear Power Plant Accident Child and Victims Support Law,'” Sekai, January 2013 issue (co-author, Iwanami Shoten)
Book Review: Carothers’ Theory of ‘Support for the Rule of Law’,” Law & Practice, No. 2 (2008)
Disclosure of Information on Official Development Assistance,” DIGEST of Disclosure of Information, No. 12, 2004
【Translation】
“Successful Resistance by the State of Nevada to the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Storage Facility,” Journal of Administrative Law, No. 18, 2017
Patricia F. I. Lemos, “Social Involvement in Water Management in Brazil: How to Improve Protection and Resilience,” Journal of Administrative Law, No. 12 (2016) (translation)
[Case Commentary.
“Constitutionality of a Presidential Order Suspending Entry from Seven Muslim Countries : Order of the Court of Appeals in the Case of Washington State v. Trump (Extract),” Legal Times, Vol. 89, No. 5 (2017) (translation)
Ruling that recognized the necessity of care during evacuation due to the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake,” in Disability and Human Rights National Lawyers Network (ed.), Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities, Sayonara! Case Study Disability and Human Rights 2 (Seikatsu Shoin, 2014)
The First-Instance Ruling in the National CALI Suit for Illegal Investigation of Muslims that Fully Defended Mosque Surveillance,” Law and Democracy, No. 487 (2014)
“Edogawa Ward Super Levee Project Cancellation Lawsuit in First Instance Fully Defends Super Levee Project that Left Residents Behind,” Environment and Justice, July 2014 (2014)
Cambodia National Highway No. 1 Rehabilitation Project – Tested JICA and Cambodia’s Resettlement Policy (1) (2),” Environment and Justice, May/July 2008 issue (2008)
Other
Developments in 2015 (Major Judicial Decisions in Administrative law), Waseda Bulletin of Comparative Law, Vol. 35 (2017) (co-author)
Developments in 2014 (Major Legislation & Treaties in Administrative law), Waseda Bulletin of Comparative Law, Vol. 34 (2016) (co-author)
Developments in 2014 (Major Judicial Decisions in Administrative law), Waseda Bulletin of Comparative Law, Vol. 34 (2016) (co-author)
Developments in 2013 (Major Judicial Decisions in Administrative law), Waseda Bulletin of Comparative Law, Vol. 33 (2015) (co-author)
The American Law Schools as Seen by Japanese Law Students,” Journal of Law Schools, No. 5 (2007) (in Japanese).

Message

1. I believe that the most important thing for a lawyer is to listen carefully to the client’s concerns and thoughts. Please take the time to discuss with me. I will work together to find the best means to help you.
Through legal means, I aim to create a society where many values can coexist and be respected by each other.
3. I am focusing on relief for victims of the nuclear power plant accident. Please feel free to consult with me regarding any emotional distress, economic loss, or reputational damage caused by the accident and radiation.
4. I have experience studying abroad and can provide consultation in English, check English texts, and investigate foreign laws.

Languages

Japanese, English