On August 2, 2025, the "Sharing and Exchange Conference on New Trends in China - Japan Trade and Investment and the Coordinated Development of Legal Services", sponsored by TAHOTA Law Firm, undertaken by TAHOTA (Qingdao) Law Firm and guided by Qingdao Lawyers Association, was successfully held at Qingdao Yinfeng Yuemei Hotel.

Experts from Japanese institutions such as the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, as well as specialists in Japanese business from our firm, gathered together to discuss the new blueprint for China-Japan economic, trade and legal cooperation.

Professor Mori Yasuteru, Special Advisor to TAHOTA Law Firm and Professor at Waseda University in Japan, took the lead in delivering a forward-looking sharing session themed "Japan’s New Economic, Industrial, Cultural and Social Strategy Toward 2040 and Chinese Enterprises’ Business Cooperation with Japan". Professor Mori conducted an in-depth analysis of Japan’s medium and long-term national strategy toward 2040 formulated by the Japanese government, which covers core areas such as economic structure transformation, technological innovation, green and low-carbon development, response to declining birthrate and aging population, and enhancement of cultural soft power. Combining detailed data and cases, Professor Mori clearly outlined the potential directions and policy orientations of the Japanese market in the future, providing highly valuable strategic guidance for Chinese enterprises to accurately deploy investment in Japan, carry out technological cooperation and explore the market.

Lawyer Feng Chao, Partner of TAHOTA Law Firm and Director of the Digital Economy Legal Center, delivered a keynote speech themed "New Developments in Intellectual Property and Data Protection of Generative AI and Their Impacts on Enterprise Compliance", focusing on issues such as the identification of intellectual property infringement and fair use standards in AI data training, as well as the copyright protection of AIGC.

Lawyer Feng provided detailed comments on landmark cases rendered by Chinese courts in recent years, conducting in-depth analyses of a series of milestone cases including "Tencent v. Yingxun Technology", "Feilin v. Baidu", "The Gentle Breeze Case", "the Guangzhou Altman Case" and "the Hangzhou Altman Case". Meanwhile, he conducted a comparative analysis of the different legal approaches adopted in the latest judgment of the Anthropic case by U.S. courts and the provisions of Japan’s newly revised Copyright Act regarding the identification of copyright infringement in AI data training.

Finally, combined with the provisions of the Interim Measures for the Administration of Generative Artificial Intelligence, Lawyer Feng elaborated on AI-related data compliance issues and proposed corresponding solutions.

Ms. Cha Haima, President of the General Incorporated Foundation IIAS International Academic, Medical and Welfare Exchange Organization, delivered a speech themed "Challenges and Breakthroughs in China’s Transitional Period - Drawing Wisdom from Japan’s 'Lost Two Decades'". From the perspective of macroeconomic development history, Ms. Cha compared the current challenges faced by China, such as economic transformation, demographic structure changes and industrial upgrading, with Japan’s once-experienced "Lost Two Decades". She proposed approaches to mitigate economic downturn risks through institutional innovation, industrial upgrading and international cooperation, providing strategic references for China-Japan business cooperation.

Following the wonderful keynote speeches, the conference proceeded to the special sharing session by the Qingdao Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Deputy Director Yohei Akazawa delivered an opening address first. He extended congratulations on the successful holding of the exchange conference and spoke highly of its significant role in promoting China-Japan economic, trade and legal exchanges. Deputy Director Akazawa introduced JETRO’s efforts in supporting Japanese enterprises to invest in China and assisting Chinese enterprises in entering the Japanese market. He also expressed that the Qingdao Office of JETRO is willing to cooperate with the legal and business communities in Qingdao and across China to jointly contribute to the healthy and stable development of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Subsequently, Ms. Zhu Xiuxia from the Qingdao Representative Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) gave a detailed introduction to Japan’s investment environment and JETRO’s Japan-focused investment promotion initiatives. Her presentation covered JETRO’s functional positioning as an official agency of the Japanese government, its global network layout, and service offerings in China. She emphasized how JETRO provides professional consulting services, comprehensive market information, precise matching support, and robust policy assistance to Chinese and Japanese enterprises seeking to explore each other’s markets, laying out a clear pathway for participating enterprises to access authoritative Japanese market insights and investment promotion support.

The conference concluded successfully with warm applause, injecting new impetus into promoting the healthy and stable development of China-Japan economic and trade relations as well as the collaborative innovation of legal services.

Our firm will continue to deepen its presence in the China-Japan legal services market, fully leverage its professional advantages in cross-border legal services, and provide enterprises with comprehensive, high-quality, and forward-looking cross-border legal support, enabling clients to forge ahead steadily and achieve long-term success on the new journey of China-Japan economic and trade cooperation.