Associate

Claude Kaneda

Languages

French
English
Japanese
Spanish

Social media

Claude joined CMS Francis Lefebvre in October 2025, notably to lead a France-Japan Desk, after working 5 years in this speciality in Tokyo and Paris. He is involved in commercial law in several business sectors (retail, food, industries, automotive, cosmetics, healthcare) and in particular in:
•    Contracts law,
•    EU law,
•    Distribution law.

Relevant experience

Associate, French-Japan Desk, Kitahama Partners, Tokyo, Japan (May 2023 – September 2025),
Associate, French-Japan Desk, LPA Tokyo, Japan (September 2021 – April 2023),
Paralegal, French-Japan Desk, McDermott Will & Emery Paris, France (July 2020 – January 2021),
Judge assistant, Administrative Court of Appeal of Paris (February 2019 – June 2020),
Lawyer intern, French Supreme Court (January 2018 – June 2018),
Lawyer intern, Vogel & Vogel (June 2017 – December 2017).

Publications

Newsletter Europe-Japan: New AI Act regulating Artificial Intelligence in the EU entered into force on 1 August 2024 (2025),
Newsletter Europe-Japan: Entry into force of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (2024),
Newsletter Europe-Japan: European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive strengthens rules concerning the ESG-related information that companies need to report and broadens their scope of application (2024),
Newsletter Europe-Japan: New EU Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and its Guidelines Fill in Gaps Unaddressed by the Previous Version to Provide a More Complete Legal Framework for New Vertical Market Practices (2023),
Newsletter Europe-Japan: Regulation on Foreign Subsidies Distorting the Internal Market Introduces Notification Requirements for Japanese Companies Active in the EU and Receiving Foreign Subsidies in relation to M&A or Public Tenders (2023).

Memberships & Roles

Hauts-de-Seine Bar admission (October 2025),
Paris Bar admission (September 2021),
Member, Association des Avocats Japonophiles AAJ,
Alumni Collège et Ecole de Droit excellence curriculum, Paris 2 Assas university,
Outgoing member, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan CCIFJ.

Education

EFB Paris Bar school (2017 – 2018),
Master’s degree in law (professional), second year, Paris 2 Assas university, EU law and litigation (2015 – 2016),
Master’s degree in law (research), second year, Paris 2 Assas university, comparative European law (2014 – 2015),
Master’s degree in law, first year, Paris 2 Assas university, European law (2013 – 2014),
Law degree, Paris 2 Assas university (2010 – 2013).

Practice Areas

Commercial Law

Insights

Global Reach

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