U.S. law firm Greenberg Traurig has further expanded its real estate team in Tokyo after recruiting a four-lawyer team from White & Case. Mizuho Yamada and Ayako Kawano come on board as shareholders, while Kazuo Kasai and Hiroshi Hara join as local partner and counsel, respectively.

These hires come some months after Greenberg Traurig added real estate experts Yuko Ino and Koh Ueda as shareholder and of counsel, respectively, from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

A weaker yen, attractive interest rates and increasing consumer demand spurred by post-COVID market re-opening has made Japan’s real estate market one of the hottest Asian investment options for global investors in 2023.

With more than four decades of combined experience, Yamada and Kawano advise on construction and development, financings, acquisitions, sales and M&A, as well as real estate and corporate-related bankruptcy, restructurings, and workouts. They left White & Case as partners.

Kasai, who was a counsel at his previous firm, advises equity investors and lenders on real estate financing, acquisitions and sales, as well as renewable energy projects. Meanwhile, Hara, who was an associate, supports real estate transactions, including securitization and asset finance, as well as renewable energy transactions and M&A.

“Our new colleagues are a perfect fit for our team in Tokyo and will substantially add to the depth and breadth of our full-service real estate offering in Japan,” said Joel H. Rothstein, chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Asia real estate practice.

The addition of this team has taken the number of lawyers in Greenberg Traurig’s real estate practice in Tokyo to 19, including seven shareholders.