Tax Advisory Services

I first met Yanagisawa six or seven years ago, playing golf at the invitation of a mutual financial planner acquaintance.
We completed an MBO of a company previously listed in the United States, and our headquarters are now in Japan. At the time, our CFO handled tax matters without an outside tax adviser. About a year after that golf outing, the CFO left and we engaged Yanagisawa. One of the first things he said was, “The calculation of the per capita inhabitant tax is wrong.” We eventually received a refund of over JPY1 million.
The refund exceeded the advisory fees, which convinced me that he did good work.
Another tax accountant at the firm also visits every month. We have many overseas transactions, so the firm's international tax expertise makes it a good fit for us.

Business Innovation Plan Approval, Financing, and Grants

He also helped us obtain approval for a business innovation plan. He suggested it would suit us because we deal in intellectual property. We obtained Tokyo Metropolitan Government approval, secured special financing, and received a grant. That was very helpful.

M&A Advisory Services

Until two years ago, alongside our main business, we were the exclusive Japanese importer of the American ice cream brand Dippin' Dots. Considering our future strategy, we decided to focus on our core business. I think this came up in a meeting with Yanagisawa after the year-end accounts. We discussed selling the Dippin' Dots business, and he helped us do it.
He found a good buyer and acted as our adviser. Negotiations through closing took about ten months, with multiple emails exchanged each day at the busiest point. It was demanding, but the transaction benefited both sides.

Inheritance

While the Dippin' Dots transaction was underway, I became seriously ill. As often happens, several things occurred together, and both my parents also died. I consulted him on inheritance tax and began thinking about my own succession. He introduced a judicial scrivener, which helped with the procedures. I would like to continue working together on my own inheritance and inheritance tax planning.

A Final Word

Let's play golf again!