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MEDISOA comprehensive portal site for Medical Innovation Support Office (MEDISO).Medical Innovation Support Office

厚生労働省

Knowledgeable experts support
the practical application of medicines,
medical devices,
and regenerative medicinal products.

What is MEDISO

MEDISO provides support for business ventures, academia,
and individuals intending to put into practical use medicines,
medical devices, and regenerative medicinal products.
Click here for further details.

About the Medical Innovation Support Office

The medical innovation support office matches medical venture companies and academic institutions facing challenges in the practical application of medical products and devices for specialists* who provide detailed consultation and support for solving problems at each stage from research and development to practical use, as well as insurance coverage at clinical sites, while looking ahead to the overall comprehensive advances and dissemination into the global market.
* Specialists in each field provide support for the response to laws and regulations, marketing, business planning, fund rasing, management strategy, intellectual property management, and international development, etc.

This website is operated by Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., as a trustee under instructions from the Economic Affairs Division, Health Policy Bureau, and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a part of the total support for the medical ventures program sponsored by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

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Support targets

Ventures, academic institutions, and individuals aiming to put into practical use the medicines, medical devices, regenerative medicinal products, and novel drug-discovery technologies or medical materials subject to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law.

Details of support

MEDISO provides support for the practical application of medicines, medical devices, regenerative medicinal products, and other products subject to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law.
That support includes business planning, financing, advice on laws and regulations, and other assistance as required.

Click here for inquiries

In case the link does not work, please contact us at the email address below
mediso@ml.mri.co.jp

Specialists Introduction

We will introduce registered specialists
(updated as necessary).

Masakazu Masujima

Partner, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto

Main specialty areas

  • medicines
  • medical devices
  • regenerative medicine products

Specialized support fields

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Funding
  • Business operation systems
  • Specialized support fields

Masa is a guru of startup legal advisory space in Japan. Based on the experiences at Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, his advice is West Coast style; progressive, risk-base and proactive. Through more than 2 dacades of dedication to the startup space, he has advised IPOs, M&As and major cross-border fundraising for may startups, including biotech and healthcare ones, and have also worked with entrepreneurs through a variety of touch situation, such as disputes between founders, problems with investors as well as intellectual property disputes. Masa has served as a council member of numerous Government committees, such as Regulatory Reform Promotion Council, the Regulatory Sandbox Committee, the Digital Market Competition Council and the Industrial Structure Council. He is admitted to NY bar and Japan bar, and a licensed patent attorny in Japan.

Kunishige Masui

Managing Partner

Main specialty areas

  • medicines
  • medical devices
  • regenerative medicine products

Specialized support fields

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Funding
  • Specialized support fields

Graduated from Kyoto University Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo Law School, and University of California, Irvine LLM. 2014 - 2021 at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu; 2020 - 2021 at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP （US law firm）. Established Masui & Partners in December 2021. Mr. Kunishige Masui assisted numerous startups, from angel rounds to companies nearing IPO, and has also assisted in the launch of many new businesses, including cross-border localization. He is well versed in the legal and financing issues that arise for startups and new business development, and provides support as a mentor for JETRO, Healthcare Innovation Hub, Kawasaki-NEDO Innovation Center （K-NIC）, Venture Café Tokyo, and IDEC. In addition to providing easy-to-understand explanations of foreign legal systems in comparison to those in Japan, he also specializes in removing obstacles to business growth by not only providing answers to "points that clients have actually consulted with" but also by digging into "points that need attention that clients are not yet aware of.”

Satoshi Ogawa

TMI Associates Partner (Attorney)

Main specialty areas

  • medicines
  • medical devices
  • regenerative medicine products

Specialized support fields

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Funding
  • Business operation systems
  • Specialized support fields
  • Etc

Satoshi Ogawa, Ph.D., is a partner at TMI Associates specializing in life sciences and healthcare. After earning his Ph.D. in Life Sciences from Kyoto University, he joined TMI Associates as an attorney. Following a three-year secondment at a law firm in New Delhi, India, he has been based at TMI’s Kyoto Office since 2019. Dr. Ogawa advises both Japanese and international clients on cutting-edge technologies, including regenerative medicine, digital health, and AI-driven healthcare solutions. His work covers startup support, patent licensing, industry–academia collaboration, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property disputes. He works extensively with universities, startups, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, venture capital firms, and public institutions. He also serves as an advisor to BioCommunity Kansai (BiocK) and HVC KYOTO, and contributes to conflict-of-interest (COI) committees and institutional review boards (IRBs). Dr. Ogawa is passionate about advancing innovation and helping clients navigate complex legal and regulatory challenges in the life science ecosystem. His publications include “Startup Intellectual Property and Legal Guidebook – Key Points for Early-Stage Bio and Life Science Ventures” (METI-Kansai) and “Healthcare Business Legal Consultation Handbook” (Chuokeizai-sha).

Tomokazu Ichikawa

Director, TM Research and Investments Pte. Ltd.

Main specialty areas

  • medical devices

Specialized support fields

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Business planning
  • Funding

Leveraged cross-functional expertise in business strategy and legal to work on strategy development, M&A, and investments in the medical device sector. Practiced law at Nagashima, Ohno and Tsunematsu, handling M&A and other corporate matters. Worked for McKinsey & Company and Hoya Corporation. Completed several acquisitions and investments in the US and Europe in the medical device business. Experienced managing a healthcare service operator in India. Currently, helping AI Medical Service, an artificial intelligence software startup for endoscope and CUC, a healthcare service provision related company. Spent more than 10 years in Singapore and familiar with business in Southeast Asian countries. Graduated from Waseda University, London Business School's Masters in Finance, and Cambridge's MBA. Attorney at law admitted in Japan.

Nao Yoshizawa

GRiT Partners　Law offices/Willsame.co.ltd/Cabinet office advisor for National bioecnomy strategy/Keio university Medical school

Main specialty areas

  • medicines
  • medical devices
  • regenerative medicine products

Specialized support fields

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Business planning
  • Funding
  • Business operation systems
  • Specialized support fields

After leaving the law firm Nishimura Asahi, [the individual] established the law firm GRiT Partners and assumed the role of managing partner. They also serve as the representative of Willsame Corporation and hold qualifications as a lawyer, patent attorney, CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner), Applied Information Technology Engineer, Information Processing Security Support Engineer, and IT Strategist. They have served as a committee member for the formulation of standards in electronic commerce and related information transactions at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as an expert in the Cabinet Office's bioecnomy strategy, and as an advisor to Biock. They have been involved in the establishment of the Japan Chapter of Aging2.0 in Silicon Valley and served as a mentor for Alchemist Accelerator. A graduate of the law faculty at Hitotsubashi University, they completed intellectual property and machine learning programs at Stanford University, as well as multiple AI programs at MIT. They serve as a program committee member for the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tokyo and the Medical Innovation Human Resources Development Course at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. With a deep understanding of international perspectives on digital health, they provide advisory support for startups and pharmaceutical companies' DX (Digital Transformation) programs. They founded the Life Science Incubation Council and focus on launching projects and connecting them with ecosystems both domestically and internationally.

About details of specialists

Introduction of measures implemented by public institutions

We will describe the measures from public institutions for pharmaceutical companies,
medical device companies, companies manufacturing regenerative medicinal products, and venture companies.

See more about measures implemented by public institutions