Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, WPP's wholly owned PR network, will take a 28.4% stake in PRAP Japan, which has 200 staff and billings last year of around £13m.
The Japanese agency counts companies such as British Airways, Nike and Sony as clients, and is based in Tokyo, with offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
Ogilvy PR Asia Pacific, headed by president Matthew Anderson, is already the second-largest PR network in the region with annual billings of more than £10m. Ogilvy's pan-Asian clients include Pizza Hut and IBM.
The Japanese market is traditionally a tough one for western PR and advertising agencies to break into, with high office rents and other costs -- as well as dominant local players -- leading to many operations closing without ever making an impact.
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