The fluent Japanese speaker, who spent time in the country’s capital city, Tokyo, working for a law firm before he joined Lancashire-based Napthens, will be addressing a group of Japanese academics and companies with UK subsidiaries at a conference on comparative international law being held at Kyoto University.

He will be delivering two papers, on the Companies Act, and on the European Directive on takeovers – both key pieces of legislation affecting law and the business community in both Japan and the UK.

While in Japan he will also be meeting with some of Napthens’ key Japanese clients. Mr Clare, as head of corporate, has become a specialist in deals involving international jurisdictions, earlier this year advising on a sale of a business which touched on the laws of Germany, China, Hong Kong and England.

He said: “Because of my background I am able to offer corporate advice to Japanese clients in this country, in their own language and with a depth and understanding of the legal issues that they are unable to get elsewhere.

“My links to Japan are extremely important, and this conference will hopefully cement the firm’s position in the country, and hopefully allow me to make a few new business contacts.”