Tokyo, October 2026 — YKONE, the global influencer & celebrity marketing agency, announces the opening of a new office in Tokyo, further strengthening its presence in Asia and expanding its international network.
With offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai since 2021, and in India since 2024, YKONE has progressively expanded its presence across Asia, strengthening its local expertise to better support premium and luxury clients in the region. The opening of its Tokyo office marks a new milestone in this development, bringing YKONE closer to the Japanese market and reinforcing its ability to serve both local and international clients.
Japan represents an important market for luxury, fashion and beauty brands, sectors in which YKONE has developed strong expertise through its work with leading international names. Establishing a presence in Tokyo will enable the agency to build closer relationships with local brands and creators while bringing its international influencer marketing expertise to the Japanese market.
Combining Local Knowledge with a Culture of Excellence
The expansion of YKONE is made via an equity investment in LATEAM, a creative & social media agency founded by Pablo Yano. Following the investment, LATEAM will be renamed YKONE Tokyo, establishing a local presence for YKONE built on the agency’s existing business and client relationships developed over the past two years. Pablo Yano will be CEO of YKONE Tokyo. The partnership marks a new stage of growth, leveraging LATEAM’s knowledge in the Japanese market and creative expertise with YKONE’s international network. For all their clients, the investment provides access to broader resources, global expertise, and new opportunities for cross-market collaboration.
“Japan is one of the most powerful influence markets in the world, yet no international influencer marketing agency has yet established itself there. That situation convinced us to open YKONE in Tokyo. Japanese culture, built on rigour, attention to detail and creativity, deeply aligns with our values: creating cultural moments that leave a lasting mark, with a global vision and local execution. We are here to support international brands that want to win this audience, and to build a presence here that matches our ambitions.”
said Olivier Billon, Founder and CEO of YKONE.
“Japan has its own market dynamics, consumer expectations and creator ecosystem. Building meaningful relationships with local talent and understanding the nuances of the market requires a genuine presence on the ground. Our ambition is to combine this local knowledge with YKONE’s international expertise to help brands develop influencer marketing strategies that resonate with Japanese audiences, in addition to supporting Japanese companies and brands as they promote their products, craftsmanship, and culture on the global stage.”
said Pablo Yano, Head Creative & CEO of YKONE Tokyo.
YKONE Tokyo will build on LATEAM’s existing client portfolio while developing new relationships with brands seeking support in Japan, or Japanese companies and brands looking to promote their craftsmanship and expertise internationally. The agency will be led by Pablo Yano, whose career spans extensive work with major international agencies in Tokyo and London. He will be supported by Richard Ledu and Olivier Cabarrot, who join in advisory roles. Drawing on their combined 30+ years of excellence in the luxury and hospitality sectors, the leadership team will collaborate with colleagues across the YKONE network to support international campaigns, exchange best practices, and contribute deep Japanese market insights to the group’s global offering, all backed by a dedicated team of local talent.
A Celebration of Cultures
The opening of YKONE’s Tokyo office was celebrated with the ninth edition of the YKONE CAVIAR CLUB, the agency’s signature travelling dinner, hosted at Edition Ginza. The evening brought together the YKONE Japan team, including its founders and partners, alongside members of YKONE’s global leadership team, including Rahul Khanna, Founder of Barcode Ent. and CEO of YKONE India, and Julien Gaubert-Molinat, CEO of YKONE Hong Kong and Shanghai. The occasion celebrated the meeting of French and Japanese cultures and marked a new chapter for YKONE in Japan.
A Global Ecosystem to Support Brands in Japan
YKONE’s expansion in Japan is part of the broader international development of ONE Group, an integrated marketing group dedicated to premium storytelling for luxury brands. Bringing together specialist agencies across complementary areas of expertise, ONE Group offers an integrated ecosystem spanning influencer marketing, creative production and live experiences. Through this ecosystem, YKONE can connect its local influencer marketing expertise with ONE Group’s capabilities in creative content and live experiences, offering brands a broader range of solutions to support their ambitions in Japan.
ABOUT YKONE | LinkedIn – Instagram – Website
Founded in 2008 by Olivier Billon, YKONE is one of the world’s top three influencer marketing agencies and the founding force behind ONE Group. Specializing in luxury, fashion, beauty and travel, the agency develops tailor-made influencer and social media strategies and high-impact campaigns for iconic brands. YKONE has been named Influencer Marketing Agency of the Year every year from 2021 to 2025 and is listed in the FT 1000 ranking of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. The agency now operates within ONE Group.
ABOUT ONE GROUP | LinkedIn – Instagram – Website
ONE Group is a $200M integrated marketing group and the first of its scale dedicated entirely to premium storytelling for different typologies of brands. Born from the merger of YKONE, MIRROR MIRROR and NO BORDER, ONE Group brings together 480 employees across 22 cities worldwide in a galaxy of 10 agencies. The Group offers a comprehensive ecosystem spanning influencer strategy, creative production, talent management, live experience, and performance measurement, eliminating the fragmentation that compels brands to manage between four and six separate agency relationships.
Atlas | BarCode | BOLD Management | BySelect | Campaygn | Fab Studio | LoveCraft | Mirror Mirror | NoBorder | YKONE
MEDIA CONTACT
Léna Ait Ouaret
lena@ykone.com
Global Brand & Marketing Manager
