Japanese law firm Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu will grow its presence in the US with the launch of a Silicon Valley office in August 2026.
The firm currently operates in the US solely through its New York office, which opened in September 2010.
Ryosuke Isaji, a partner in the New York office, will lead the new Silicon Valley office. He said the firm planned to establish a main office in or around Palo Alto, alongside a sub-office in San Mateo.
Isaji said the expansion was driven by increasing outbound and inbound activity between Japanese and US companies.
“In recent years, we have seen a steady increase in both outbound matters involving Japanese companies on the West Coast and inbound matters involving US companies based on the West Coast investing in or doing business with Japan,” he told Asia Business Law Journal.
“Against this background of growing client demand, we believe this is the right moment to establish a local presence in Silicon Valley. The new office will allow us to provide our accumulated US practice knowledge more directly to clients in the region, while maintaining the quality and responsiveness expected from one of Japan’s leading law firms.”
The Silicon Valley office will focus on four core areas, including advising Japanese companies on outbound investments, strategic alliances and acquisitions on the US West Coast, particularly in sectors such as AI, semiconductors, other advanced technologies and healthcare.
The firm will also support West Coast-based companies on inbound matters, including market entry into Japan, strategic partnerships with Japanese companies, investments and joint ventures.
Advising Silicon Valley startups will form another key pillar, particularly in relation to fundraising transactions, as well as fund formation, financing and investment matters for venture capital and corporate venture capital investors.
In addition, the office will provide day-to-day corporate legal support to Japanese-related companies operating locally, covering corporate, employment, commercial transactions and general business matters.
“A key strength of the office will be that it is being built with lawyers who are committed to a long-term presence in the region. We also expect to have the capability to handle small- to mid-sized M&A transactions largely within our own team, which will allow us to provide clients with efficient, seamless and high-quality support,” Isaji said.
The firm has yet to finalise the initial headcount for the Silicon Valley office but plans to grow the team to around 10 lawyers over the next three to five years.
As for future expansion, Isaji said Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu would continue to evaluate opportunities in new international markets, depending on “client needs, market trends and the strategic importance of each jurisdiction”.
