TOKYO--Ruder Finn has further expanded its Asian footprint by forming a partnership with Japan's largest independent consultancy, Kyodo Public Relations.

The deal cements the two agencies' existing decade-long relationship. Kyodo will have access to Ruder Finn’s global network of offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. Ruder Finn, meanwhile, can tap into Kyodo's resources and insight relating to Japan and Korea. 

“Japan is now the world’s fourth largest importer of goods after USA, China and Germany. It is also the fourth largest exporter and the second most technologically advanced and powerful economy in the world. It is a well-developed country with customers who can afford and appreciate quality and remains a significant market in the global economy,” said Sakae Ohashi, Kyodo PR’s president and CEO. “This partnership will provide Ruder Finn’s global clients and Kyodo PR’s clients with the means to tap into each other’s markets”.

Established in 1964, Kyodo has a strong local client base—about 80 percent of its clients are Japanese companies—but also counts a growing number of overseas multinationals who require an in-depth knowledge of local media. 

“With a strategic and centralized market location in Asia, Japan is a platform for most important technologies to be disseminated from or through Japan," said Ruder Finn Asia chairman Jean Michel Dumont. "We believe that this partnership will be critical in strengthening our existing Asia offering.”

The deal follows Ruder Finn's launch in India last month.