Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is set to launch two offices in Texas, making it the latest major Japanese law firm to expand into the US amid growing investment in North America by corporate Japan.
The firm plans to open in Dallas and Houston next spring, citing proximity to Japanese companies' North America headquarters and a concentration of businesses in the energy, space and medtech industries.
The move echoes Big Four rival Mori Hamada's announcement last month that it would open in Dallas and Houston in 2027, taking its US office count to five in four years.
Anderson Mori said Texas had "firmly established itself as the strongest business hub in the US" and that data from the Japan External Trade Organization shows the number of Japanese companies currently operating in the state stands at 127 and is rapidly increasing.
"The number of US-related legal consultations received by our firm has surged with respect to the Southern and Midwestern regions, particularly Texas," Anderson Mori said in a statement. "There's strong demand for legal support that is more rooted in local realities, such as forming M&As and joint ventures with local companies, and navigating complex employment and labour laws at the state-level associated with establishing new offices."
The offices will be led by partner Koichi Saito, who is licensed to practice in the State of New York and has a broad practice spanning M&A, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations as well as employee and executive compensation matters. The founding team also includes a senior associate.
The launches come amid record Japan-related M&A activity, fuelled by ongoing corporate governance reforms, portfolio restructurings and an influx of private equity investment. Japanese M&A topped $385bn in 2025 according to JP Morgan, while the US emerged as a favoured destination for outbound deals, with Japanese buyers deploying more than $100bn over the year.
It also follows the US and Japan reaching a major trade agreement in July last year that saw Japan pledge to invest $550bn in US industries over the next few years in return for lower tariffs on Japanese imports.
Other leading Japanese law firms have moved to capitalise on the influx of Japanese investment into the US. Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu announced in July that it would open its second US office in Silicon Valley, targeting tech and venture capital work as well as cross-border M&A.
Last year Miura & Partners also opened in Seattle after absorbing local boutique Baxter Law International, having entered the US market in 2023 through an alliance with San Francisco-based Yorozu Law Group.
Japanese firms' international growth efforts have also a spate of debuts in European markets in recent years. Anderson Mori opened an associated office in Paris earlier this year, its third in the region since it first opened there, in London, in 2022.
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