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Etsuko Kameoka

Counsel

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Overview

Etsuko Kameoka specialises in EU competition law, with a particular emphasis on cartel investigations, distribution agreements, licensing negotiations, merger control proceedings and abuses of dominance involving Japanese clients. Etsuko also creates competition compliance programmes for companies and conducts training sessions.

Prior to joining Van Bael & Bellis in 2001, Etsuko worked as a trainee in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition and also gained experience working in both French and British law firms.

Etsuko also advises governments and public organisations on competition policy.

Languages

Japanese, English, French

Education

  • University of Brussels (ULB), PhD in Law (research subject: Legal Professional Privilege in EU Competition Investigations), 2021 
  • College of Europe, Bruges, Post-Graduate Studies in European Legal Studies, 2001
  • New York University School of Law, USA, LL.M. in International Legal Studies, 1997
  • University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, Post-Graduate Studies in EC Law, 1996
  • Keio University, Japan, Bachelor and Master of Laws, Ph.D candidate, 1994                                                                                                    

Publications

“The impact of the European Green Deal on EU competition law (in Japanese)”, Fair Trade (Tokyo) No.855, (January 2022), pp. 16-25.

“Competition Law and Policy in Japan and the EU” (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014).

Contributor to Van Bael & Bellis, Competition Law of the European Community (fifth edition, Kluwer, 2010) and its Japanese-language digest “EC Competition Law” (Shoji-homu, 2007).

Contributor to Van Bael & Bellis, Competition Law of the European Union (sixth edition, Kluwer, 2021).

“EU competition law and the European Green Deal (in Japanese)”, Journal of the Japanese Institute of International Business Law (Tokyo) Vol.48, No.3 (March 2020), pp. 303-308.
 
“Legal Professional Privilege in EU Competition Investigations and a Proposal for the Recognition of Privilege in Japan (in Japanese)”, Journal of the Japanese Institute of International Business Law (Tokyo) Vol.47, No.7 (July 2019), pp. 811-814.
 
“A Proposal to Reform the Fining Methods in Japanese Competition Law Investigations in light of EU Competition Law Practice (in Japanese)”, NBL (Tokyo) No.1101 (July 2017), pp. 37-43.
 
“25 years after the introduction of EU Merger control: actual status and future perspectives (in Japanese)”, Shojihomu, (Tokyo) No. 2079 (September 2015), pp. 54-61.
 
“Pro-consumer efficiencies in competition law and practice in Japan and the EU (in English)”, Concorrenza e Mercato (Milan), n. 15/2007 (September 2008), pp. 161-177.
 
“Efficiency claims in Japanese merger control: a comparative overview (in English)”, Concorrenza e Mercato (Milan), n.13-14/2005-2006 (February 2007), pp. 251-266.

“The Arbitrability of EU Competition Law (in Japanese)”, Journal of the Japanese Institute of International Business Law (Tokyo), Vol.28 (November 2000), No.11, pp. 1333-1336.

Teaching Positions 

Etsuko Kameoka lectures on EU competition law at various universities including the Brussels School of Competition (BSC) and the University of Lille.

She regularly speaks on competition law at legal conferences in Europe and Japan.

Bar Admissions       

New York
Brussels

Expertise

Notable assignments

  • Assisting Elpida Memory (at the time Japan’s leading DRAM supplier) throughout the Commission’s lengthy investigation into a cartel in the DRAM sector. This was the first investigation ever to be settled under the Commission’s new settlement procedure.

  • Assisting Japan Airlines, Japan’s flag carrier, in the cartel proceedings by the European Commission in the airfreight sector.

Publications and insights

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    • 20/10/2021
    • News

    Etsuko Kameoka speaks to Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Düsseldorf on the reform of EU rules on vertical restraints

    On 15 October 2021, Etsuko Kameoka spoke to members of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Düsseldorf (“Japanische IHK zu Düsseldorf e.V.”), on "The Reform of Vertical Restraints under EU Competition Law”. Her presentation focused on the European Commission’s recent proposals and the impact they may have on the business of Japanese companies. In January 2021, Etsuko was appointed to be a member of the Legal Committee of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, which is composed of Japanese lawyers and accountants mainly in Düsseldorf. In that capacity, Etsuko will contribute to the Chamber’s activities in the area of EU competition law compliance. Düsseldorf has been the largest hub of the Japanese business community in Europe.

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    • 20/09/2019
    • News

    Etsuko Kameoka speaks on EU competition law at seminars organised by the Japanese Institute of International Business Law in Japan

    On 9 and 12 September 2019, Van Bael & Bellis counsel Etsuko Kameoka spoke on recent developments in EU competition law significant for Japanese business at two monthly seminars organised by the Japanese Institute of International Business Law in Tokyo and Osaka. Etsuko’s presentation discussed recent investigations of the European Commission in the field of vertical restraints and the abuse of a dominant position by dominant digital platforms, the reform of the vertical block exemption and potential legislative developments in the field of merger control as well as private damages actions.

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    • 07/06/2019
    • News

    Van Bael & Bellis lawyers speak at seminar on EU competition law developments in Tokyo on 5 June 2019 organised in collaboration with Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation

    Van Bael & Bellis lawyers spoke at a seminar on EU competition law developments on 5 June 2019 at the headquarters of Keidanren – the premier organization representing Japanese business, whose members include the main Japanese multinational companies – in Tokyo before a large audience. Thomas Kramler, Head of Unit, DG Competition, European Commission, spoke on EU competition policy in the digital era. Van Bael & Bellis partners Kris Van Hove and Andrzej Kmiecik and counsel Etsuko Kameoka spoke on developments in the areas of cartels, vertical restraints and legal professional privilege, respectively. Keidanren Executive Director, Takashi Inoue, opened the event, while Van Bael & Bellis Chairman Jean-François Bellis delivered introductory and concluding remarks.

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