Mayer Brown expands Tokyo office and Global Corporate & Securities practice with the addition of partner Masahisa Ikeda

TOKYO, February 19, 2026 – Mayer Brown announced today that partner Masahisa Ikeda has joined the firm’s Tokyo office. Mr. Ikeda will also serve as the office managing partner of the firm’s Tokyo office, succeeding Rupert Burrows, who is transitioning from the role after two terms during which the firm’s work with Japanese clients more than doubled. He joins from A&O Shearman, where he previously served as head of the Tokyo office until his departure and held many senior leadership roles across both Shearman & Sterling and A&O Shearman.

His addition will further strengthen Mayer Brown’s Tokyo-based US law team, supporting Japan’s leading companies in a full range of services, including corporate governance, reporting and capital markets transactions, cross-border M&A, commercial disputes, and responding to global investigations and compliance issues.

“We are delighted to welcome Masahisa to our Tokyo team and the firm,” said Mayer Brown partner David Alberts, co-leader of the Global Corporate & Securities practice. “His arrival significantly expands our ability to support Japanese and global clients on sophisticated capital markets work and cross border transactions. He brings exceptional experience and relationships that will strengthen our platform across key global financial centers.”

Mr. Ikeda is a market-leading Tokyo partner focused on capital markets, cross-border M&A, asset management and disputes, with deep experience representing Japanese issuers and underwriters in registered global offerings and advising leading corporations on antitrust, anti-corruption, and corporate governance matters.

“Masahisa is a well-known advisor to major global Japanese corporations, CEOs and GCs,” added Mayer Brown Corporate & Securities partner Satoru Murase. “It is wonderful that we can combine forces globally at Mayer Brown to better serve our clients.”

“Mayer Brown’s global platform, along with its long-standing commitment to and reputation among Japan’s leading businesses and law firms, makes it the ideal platform for me,” Mr. Ikeda said. “The combination creates immediate and compelling synergies, enabling seamless, top-tier US law support for Japanese clients wherever they do business globally. It also allows me to resume decades-long partnerships with leading Japanese law firms and their most important clients. Together, we will offer the highest-caliber US law capabilities to support clients on a full-range of high stakes cross border matters.”

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