Law firm Mayer Brown has announced that it will open a Tokyo office in the first half of 2018.

The office will be led by Rupert Burrows, a corporate and project finance lawyer, who joins the firm from Ashurst. Burrows has more than 20 years’ experience in Japan’s projects and energy markets.

Chairman Paul Theiss says the firm is opening the office due to demand from Japanese companies, banks and trading houses.

He adds: “They have been telling us that, to continue to develop those relationships and expand them across the Mayer Brown platform, we now need a presence in Tokyo. Consistent with the firm’s wider strategic goal to be present in all of the major financial centres of the world and with our client-led initiative in Japan, we now intend to open in Tokyo in the first half of 2018. We are delighted that Rupert Burrows, an established projects lawyer in the Tokyo market, will be joining us to head up our new office.”