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Keisho X
Handshake in a Japanese woodworking workshop — succession from longtime owners to a new operator

Keisho X

事業承継 · Business succession

Japanese succession, clearly explained for foreign buyers.

Practical, data-backed English intelligence on Japan’s ownership cliff — without marketplace hype or empty promises.

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Advisor or local practitioner? Partnership overview

The market

The succession gap is structural — and already here

Millions of Japanese SME owners are past retirement age. Roughly half have no identified successor. That ownership cliff is the story Keisho X exists to explain.

The succession gap
~2.5M
SME owners in Japan are past age 70, per METI estimates
Without successors
~Half
of those businesses have no identified successor
Our lens
Kansai+
Regional depth in Kyoto/Osaka with national coverage

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Cornerstone guides

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Japanese and foreign professionals exchanging documents in a Tokyo office with Tokyo Tower in the background
Policy & Ecosystem 6 min read

FEFTA, Visas, and Foreign Ownership Practicalities in Japan

The regulatory layer for foreign buyers of Japanese businesses: how FEFTA notification actually works, which sectors are designated, the Business Manager visa path, banking and guarantee hurdles, and sequencing that keeps deals on track.

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Japanese owner, advisor, and foreign buyer reviewing financial statements and earnings multiples in a Tokyo office
Valuation & Economics 6 min read

Valuation Reality in Japanese Succession Deals

What Japanese SMEs actually sell for in succession deals: the net-asset-plus-goodwill convention, realistic earnings multiples, why reported profit misleads, and how deal structure changes the real price.

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Japanese SME owner and foreign buyer shaking hands across a conference table in a Tokyo high-rise, with advisors looking on
Foreign Buyer Lens 8 min read

The Complete Foreign Buyer's Guide to Japanese SME Succession

How Japanese business succession (jigyo shokei) actually works for foreign buyers: the market reality, the process from thesis to close, realistic timelines, and the mistakes that end deals before they begin.

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Why this exists

Most English coverage of Japanese M&A is either hype or noise

Not a marketplace

We explain how the ecosystem — platforms, government succession centers, regional banks, and advisors — actually works, and how foreign buyers can navigate it with clearer expectations.

Practical over theoretical

Specific numbers, real process maps, honest limitations. Valuation ranges that reflect what actually closes, not what gets written about.

A path to real conversations

Authority content first, selective local partnerships second, facilitated deal flow only where trust is earned. Our model is explained transparently on the About page.

Intelligence

Latest from the Japan Succession Brief

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Aging Japanese shop owner handing over keys and company seal to a younger foreign buyer in a modest workshop office
Market Observations 2 min read

Zero-Yen Acquisitions: Real, Growing, and Not Actually Free

Nominal-price business transfers are a real and visible slice of Japan's succession market. What a zero-yen deal actually transfers, when it makes sense, and how to price the 'free' company honestly.

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Japan Succession Brief

The intelligence serious buyers forward to colleagues

Policy changes, market data, and ground-level observations on Japanese SME succession — a few times a month, no filler, unsubscribe anytime.

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