TOKYO, April 25 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs ( GS ) has

appointed Hidehiro Imatsu as president of its Japan unit, it

said in a release on Thursday.

Imatsu, who is based in Hong Kong, will relocate to Tokyo

and, as well as serving as president, will retain his current

roles as co-head of global interest rates product trading and

co-head of the Asia Pacific fixed income, currency and

commodities.

Imatsu takes the place of Masanori Mochida, who announced he

would retire last year after more than 38 years at the

investment bank.

Mochida is credited with leading Goldman Sachs' ( GS ) expansion in

Japan, where it has had a presence for 50 years.

Global investors have become increasingly enthused by

Japanese companies as long-awaited corporate governance changes

and rising profits have helped drive the Nikkei share

average to record highs this year.

"As international investors focus their attention on the

Japanese market and the country's biggest companies look to

expand their global reach, Goldman Sachs ( GS ) will continue to

provide the highest level of service to clients under its new

leadership in Japan," the company said.