U.S. firm King & Spalding has recruited four partners from Ashurst to open an office in Tokyo.

Ashurst’s former Tokyo managing partner John McClenahan will join the new office alongside Tokyo partners Mark Davies and Christopher Bailey and Perth partner Rupert Lewi, who will relocate to the Japanese capital.

McClenahan, who will head the new office, specialises in banking and project finance, while Lewi and Davies handle primarily M&A and project finance work, with a focus on the energy sector. Bailey, who has been in Tokyo since 2006, specialises in litigation and international arbitration, including energy disputes.

“We are excited to build a new office around a top-tier team with deep roots in the Japanese legal marketplace and expertise in energy, projects, finance, construction and international arbitration,” said Robert Hays, King & Spalding’s chairman, in a statement.

“Given our momentum globally, strategic focus on energy, the growth of energy and related activity in Asia-Pacific, and the opportunity to launch with an internationally recognised group, Tokyo presents a real opportunity for us.”

In addition to the Tokyo launch, King & Spalding has also significantly boosted its energy practice in Singapore this year. The firm recruited power projects partner Simon Cowled from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in April, and hired Herbert Smith Freehills’ Southeast Asia energy head Richard Nelson in March.