Japanese boutique Tokyo International Law Office (TKI) is set to establish its first overseas outpost with the opening of a Singapore office in January 2025, marking a significant milestone in the rapidly expanding firm's global strategy.
The Singapore office of the Japanese firm will be helmed by TKI's co-founder and co-managing partner, Koki Yamada (L), whose experience spans cross-border M&A transactions, dispute resolution, investigations, competition law, and projects work.
Yamada's expertise in Southeast Asian M&A is particularly noteworthy, having advised on high-profile transactions such as a leading pharmaceutical company's joint acquisition of a major Singaporean firm.
Joining Yamada in Singapore will be Earl Rivera-Dolera, a prominent disputes partner who joined TKI in October from Vietnam's Frasers Law Company. Rivera-Dolera, a seasoned arbitrator with experience across jurisdictions including Singapore, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, brings valuable insights into Singapore's arbitration and mediation landscape. Her track record includes representing clients in high-stakes arbitrations and commercial mediations under major institutions such as SIAC and SIMC.
Associate Kosuke Nakano, a former Japanese prosecutor specializing in investigations, litigation, and corporate M&A matters, will also relocate to the Singapore office.
TKI envisions its Singapore presence as a strategic hub for its core strengths in international transactions and dispute resolution. The new office is expected to enhance the firm's ability to serve multinational corporations with regional headquarters in Singapore while bolstering its inbound legal services to Japan.
When asked why it chose Singapore over other legal hubs in Asia, including Hong Kong, to plant TKI’s first flag overseas, Yamada said the choice of location was driven by the growing needs of “decoupling of supply chains”.
“As a result, we see consistent trends among our clients shifting their investments from the Chinese region to other regions such as ASEAN and India. We would like to support our clients on those investments from the corporate standpoint. Also, disputes arising out from those corporate/commercial actions in those jurisdictions could tend to be resolved in Singapore rather than in Hong Kong,” Yamada noted.
“Supposedly due to the same reasons, we see many legal talents are moving out from Hong Kong to other places. Some go to London, some go to Tokyo and some go to Singapore. We would like to reach those global talents and form a strong team. We believe having an office in Singapore would allow us to do so,” he added.
Founded in 2019 by alumni of Japanese legal powerhouses Mori Hamada & Matsumoto and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, TKI has been steadily expanding both its domestic offerings and cross-border capabilities.
Recent strategic hires include tax expert Makiko Kawamura from EY Japan and construction specialist Hojung Jun from Baker McKenzie, further solidifying the firm's diverse expertise.
