Merit E. Janow

Merit E. Janow "has a unique international career than spans academia, government and business. Her background combines international trade and antitrust law and policy with extensive international experience, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Merit E. Janow is a member of the faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and Columbia Law School. During her career, Ms. Janow has served as the Executive Director of an international antitrust advisory committee to the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust; a senior trade negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative responsible for bilateral trade negotiations between the United States and Japan and China; a corporate lawyer with a major Wall Street law firm involved in global mergers and acquisitions and business operations; and a researcher on international economic policy for a major U.S. think tank. She grew up in Tokyo Japan, and speaks Japanese...

"In the fall of 2001, she was appointed by the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to serve as a Panelist in a dispute before the WTO. Also in 2001, she joined the Board of Directors of two global mutual funds of the American Funds Family and was named one of the Reporters for the new American Law Institute Project, "Principles of WTO Law"...

"From 1990 through 1993, Ms. Janow was Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan and China at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Executive Office of the President. Her responsibilities within USTR included the development, coordination and implementation of U.S. trade policy and negotiating strategy toward Japan and the People's Republic of China. Her specific lead negotiating areas with Japan included: the Structural Impediments Initiative, legal services, satellites, intellectual property rights, paper products, glass products, and telecommunication services. She was also involved in bilateral negotiations on other subjects. Her trade negotiating experience with the PRC involved intellectual property rights (where she chaired the working level negotiations in 1991) and market access. During her tenure at USTR, Ms. Janow negotiated nearly a dozen trade agreements with Japan and China.

"Before joining USTR, Ms. Janow was an Associate with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and international corporate transactions. Transactional experience included: major public and private corporate acquisitions in the U.S., domestic and international securities offerings, joint ventures in the U.S. and Asia, licensing and distribution agreements, and acquisition and protection of intellectual property in the United States and in Asia.

"From 1980-1985, Ms. Janow was a member of the Professional Staff of Hudson Institute, based initially in Tokyo and then in New York. At Hudson Institute, she conducted international business and policy analyses for U.S. and foreign companies as well as policy studies for the U.S. government...

"She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Membership Committee and the Chairman's Forum; the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; Japan Society; Asia Society, the American Bar Association Antitrust and International sections, the American Society of International Law; USPECC, among others." 


 * Faculty, East Asian Institute
 * Council Member, US Asia Pacific Council