Debevoise & Plimpton has opened an office in Tokyo, its ninth globally.

Corporate partner Christopher Smeall and bengoshi international counsel Naomi Aoyama will head the Tokyo office. Smeall, a registered foreign lawyer, has been advising clients in Japan-related matters for over 30 years, handling commercial transactions such as acquisitions, financings and joint ventures as well as corporate governance issues. Aoyama’s 15-year stint at Debevoise’s New York office focused on corporate transactions.

The Tokyo office, which cements the firm’s six-decade-long association with Japan, is expected to provide on-the-ground advice on transactions such as M&A and financings as well as investment matters and corporate governance. It will also give clients access to Debevoise’s other offices worldwide, offering them assistance in corporate investigations, cybersecurity, dispute resolution, crisis management, civil and criminal enforcement proceedings and other concerns.