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

Takeshi komatani

Takeshi S Komatani is currently principal litigation certified patent attorney in the field of chemical/pharma and bio/life sciences at a patent law firm, and has a number of counsels, including in academia, start-ups and big pharma internationally. Takeshi received his PhD from the University of Tokyo, Japan, received his LLB and LLM (global legal practice) from Keio University, and is currently a visiting professor at Kobe University, teaching IP strategy in entrepreneurship and Doshisha University (Kyoto). He has completed CEIPI Summer School on IP (University of Strasbourg), France. He is also qualified as a pharmacist with a certificate of Kampo and natural medicines specialist qualification. He was a researcher at F Hoffmann-La Roche in Basle, Switzerland. He has completed the EU-recognised PharmaTrain course at Osaka University, and is qualified as a board-certified member of the Japanese Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine. He is a member of the AIPPI and vice chair of TRIPS SC and a member of IP-GRTK SC and Pharma SC, and a member of the editorial board of the Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst (UK). He is also a member of JPAA, APAA, IPAJ, PSA, JPA, CSAIP and AAAS. He has lectured in academia, including at Japanese and German universities and WIPO Academy, and contributed to a number of articles.

Saaya Hirai

Globizz Japan Corporation　Osaka Office Director

After studying abroad in New Zealand during junior high school, she became interested in doing business with foreign countries, and after graduating from high school, she entered a university in Taiwan in English and Mandarin Chinese. At university, she majored in international business administration. During her studies, she experienced corporate internships in the U.S. and Taiwan, gaining insight into the business world from her student days. Currently, as a project controller at headquarters, she is in charge of overall project management and strategic planning for companies entering the U.S. market as a project coordinator.

Shinichi Watanabe

WNW IP ATTORNEYS

Shinichi Watanabe began his career as a patent attorney in 2003, and with the valuable experience gained at global patent law firms. His practice primarily deals with filing and prosecution of domestic and international patent applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. Backed up by a wealth of practical experience and technical expertise, he is actively engaged in IP counselling and advises start-up pharmaceutical and biotech companies on patent filing strategies. Recently, he is interested in AI and machine learning, and now also working on support in the interdisciplinary area between life science, IT and AI.

Takahiro Mizumoto

Ant innovations Co., Ltd

Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Master’s Program in Intellectual Property Management.
After passing the Japanese Patent Attorney Examination, gained venture investment experience in high-tech sectors including IT and healthcare at NIFS SMBC Capital (later split into Daiwa Corporate Investment and SMBC Venture Capital).
Subsequently joined Showa Shell Sekiyu, where he led the planning and development of multiple new services spanning payment solutions, retail electricity, and mobile app businesses. With the launch of the University of Tokyo Innovation Platform (UTokyo IPC), he joined the firm and founded 1stRound, a cross-university incubation program. He later spearheaded the establishment of an approximately JPY 25 billion open-innovation promotion fund and served as its Chief Investment Officer.
In November 2025, he founded Ant Innovations, a newly established venture capital firm and subsidiary of the private equity firm Ant Capital Partners, and assumed the role of Representative Director and Partner.

Rou Irisawa

IRISAWA Consulting LLC

Worked at Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for 27 years, primarily in antibody drug research and development, CMC regulatory affairs, and quality assurance, from preclinical trials stage to BLA stage. Involved in the BLA of Japan, US and EU approval for the CTD-Q of Actemra, Japan's original first antibody drug. And also involved in Japan BLA for several biologics Genentech original. Since 2017, involved in the development of many new modalities, including three SAKIGAKE designated cell products, and participated in 21 times PMDA consultations responsible for CMC regulatory and QA for cell products and gene therapy products. In 2023, became independent as a CMC regulatory consultant. Author of ""CMC Pharmaceutical Design - CMC Pharmaceutical Strategy in the Era of New Modality Pharmaceuticals"" (Yakuji Nipposha, 2022), and is the overall supervisor of the Japanese translation of A-CELL (CMC Development Guidance for CAR-T). Fellow at Tama University's Medical Care Solutions Research Institute, and a top performer in the regular course of Pharmaceutical Evaluation Science at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2024. Certified in generative AI skills (November 2025).　Currently involved in various projects, including serving as CMC lecturer at seminars on how to proceed with the development of CMC for antibody drugs, cell products, gene therapy products, etc　for small company to semi-major company.