Leading Australian firm Allens Arthur Robinson and top Japanese firm Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu announced Thursday that they have struck a cooperative alliance to provide legal advice to Japanese companies doing business Down Under and in Southeast Asia.

The deal is aimed at providing a more unified service offering to Japanese clients investing in Australia and Southeast Asia. Though Chinese investment, particularly in Australian mining assets, has received most of the attention in recent years, Japanese companies have long been highly active in the region.