Having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese legal departments now urgently need to establish systems that can support corporate operations remotely. Companies that implemented teleworking as an emergency measure must now formalize this as a permanent system. An increasing number of companies are also preparing for virtual shareholder meetings. Amidst concerns about the fragility of Japan's legal infrastructure—such as the inability to submit documents online for certain court proceedings—contract negotiations that anticipate potential disputes are becoming increasingly important. This seminar addresses the challenges for legal departments revealed by the pandemic.

1. Challenges for Legal Functions Exposed by the Pandemic
(1) Capacity to respond to a global crisis with no end in sight
(2) Transition to non-face-to-face operations like telework and virtual shareholder meetings
(3) Moving away from workflows reliant on paper and seals

2. Labor Management in the New Normal
(1) Procedures for introducing telework
(2) Telework and labor management
(3) Telework and security protection
(4) International comparison: Lockdown measures and telework

3. Governance in the New Normal
(1) Virtual shareholder meetings
(2) Online board meetings
(3) International comparison: Online shareholder meetings in the U.S.

4. Contract Negotiation and Management for the New Normal
(1) Electronic contracts and electronic signatures
(2) Force Majeure, MAC Clauses, and termination clauses
(3) International comparison: Japanese vs. UK force majeure clauses

5. New Normal and Dispute Resolution Procedures
(1) Progress of online court proceedings in Japan
(2) Online court and arbitration proceedings
(3) What is Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)?
(4) International comparison: Singapore's online hearings

6. Q&A