TOKYO, April 25 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs 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' 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 will continue to provide the highest level of service to clients under its new leadership in Japan," the company said. (Reporting by Anton Bridge; editing by Miral Fahmy)