Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, one of Japan’s largest law firms, has announced it plans to open an office in the Belgian capital of Brussels in early 2024, its ninth overseas outpost.

When it opens, the Brussels office will become the firm’s second European location. It launched a London office last year.

AMT chose Brussels as it is “the regulatory as well as political centre of the EU and the place where the European Commission is seated,” the firm said in a statement. “With its superior access to major European cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, our Brussels office makes it possible for us to promptly provide” legal services to clients across European economic hubs, it added.

The Brussels office will offer advice to European companies and investors regarding investment projects in Japan, alliances with Japanese companies, and entry into the Japanese market, as well as legal issues relating to existing businesses and investments in Japan, including day-to-day corporate matters, labour issues and disputes.

Ko Hanamizu, a partner who currently serves as the representative of the Singapore office, will lead the Brussels branch. He advises on corporate matters, including finance and structured finance. Hanamizu joined AMT in 2002 and became head of Singapore in 2013.

He will be supported by cross-border M&A and competition law partner Ryoichi Kaneko and EU and international competition law partner Vassili Moussis. Kaneko has experience working in London, Brussels and Madrid, while Moussis was born and raised in Brussels.

A number of Japanese law firms have announced expansion plans in Europe and the U.S. since late last year. TMI Associates opened an office in Paris earlier this year, and Mori Hamada & Matsumoto established a presence in New York last month. In March, Miura & Partners announced plans for new offices in London and San Francisco.