Withers has hired partner Eric Roose and tax advisors Chizuko Tomita and Takeo Mizutani from Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office to launch a tax practice in the Japanese capital.

Tomita and Mizutani will head the new office, which will operate under the name Withers Japan, Zeirishi Houjin.

Roose will oversee the firm’s international corporate tax practice in Asia, and will relocate to the newly formed Withers KhattarWong office in Singapore.

“Our family office and entrepreneurial clients frequently require us to handle their corporate transactions as well as personal legal matters, and Eric and the Zeirishi team add significant strengths to our existing corporate tax team in the U.S. and Europe,” said Withers’ managing director Margaret Robertson, in a statement.

“We are also very excited to add an affiliate office in Japan to our network, and anticipate that it will result in new ways of working with clients across Asia and the U.S. west coast, where we are also investing in substantial growth.”

The Japan office launch is the latest in a string of new offices openings for Withers. The firm entered Australia through the creation of the Withers SBL alliance last December, and opened three new U.S. offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and Rancho Santa Fe earlier this month.

In Asia, Withers inked an alliance with Singapore’s KhattarWong in April, which saw all 26 partners at KhattarWong join Withers.