M&A intermediation
Through M&A
A happy retirement
Teikoku Databank's 2025 Nationwide Survey of Successor Absence Rates found that 50.1% of approximately 270,000 companies surveyed had no successor. Companies facing pressure to focus their resources also have a need to concentrate on their core businesses.
Source:Teikoku Databank: Nationwide Survey of Companies Without Successors (2025). Published November 21, 2025. Percentage of companies with no successor or an undecided successor.
To address client needs such as a lack of a successor or a desire to focus on their core business, we serve as financial advisors providing M&A guidance, as well as handling target finding and matching, backed by a strong track record. Furthermore, we take pride in having one of the highest annual transaction volumes and success rates among domestic M&A boutiques.
The future of your company—and your own next chapter.
To whom, and on what terms, will you pass the company you have built over many years? M&A cannot be decided on price alone. Employee retention, business relationships, continuation of the name and business, and how long you remain involved as an owner all matter. Each person's priorities differ.
M&A serves many purposes beyond succession: drawing on another company's strengths to grow, selling part of a business to focus on core operations, or selling the company to begin a new business or life. We start by clarifying why you want to sell and what you want to preserve.
You do not need to have decided to sell before consulting us. You can first understand your company's options and prepare for a handover, then decide whether to proceed.
Start with Choosing Your M&A Broker.
“Which broker should I use?” “How should I compare proposals and fee structures?” We advise before you select a provider. Without assuming any particular broker, we listen to the company's circumstances and the owner's wishes, then clarify the services, the adviser's experience, fees, and contract terms.
You can consult us solely for advice on comparing and selecting intermediaries or for an introduction. If you prefer, we can act as intermediary or financial adviser, supporting the search, negotiations, and closing. We consider a structure suited to your needs, including collaboration with a listed M&A boutique, and clarify roles and scope.
M&A support is provided by Yanagisawa Research Institute Co., Ltd. in cooperation with Yanagisawa International Tax & Accounting Office. We connect the corporate transaction with the owner's personal taxes, net proceeds, and life after the sale.
Start by Estimating Your Company's Sale Price.
Our dedicated site, “Company Sale Price,” estimates an indicative company sale price from four financial statement figures. No company name or email address is required. You can also compare brokers and view 10 checkpoints for successful M&A.
This is a simplified estimate and does not guarantee a transaction price or after-tax proceeds.
Visit Company Sale Price.com ↗Our main M&A engagements
Our role varies by engagement, including brokerage, sell-side financial advisory, tax advisory, and financial due diligence. Here are selected engagements we are permitted to disclose.
| Year | Our role | Transaction overview |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Financial DD (buy-side) | Acquisition of Focus LLC by Wa Co., Ltd. ↗Engaged by the buyer to conduct financial due diligence. |
| 2019 | Brokerage | Transfer of a Minority Shareholding in a Venture Company Immediately Before Its IPO |
| 2018 | Brokerage | MBO of a Singapore Company |
| 2017 | Sell-side adviser | Share Transfer of ITTY Co., Ltd. ↗Equity participation by funds and others receiving investment-related services from J-STAR. M&A Capital Partners acted as intermediary. |
| 2014 | Brokerage | VJ Solutions' Acquisition of a Philippine Company ↗Brokered the acquisition of shares in Forty Degrees Celsius, Inc., a systems development company in Cebu, Philippines. |
| 2014 | Tax Advisor | Transfer by a Holding Company of Shares in a Japanese Company to a Hong Kong Group Company |
| 2013 | Brokerage | Acquisition of Tokyo Hikari Kotsu by Nihon Kotsu ↗Brokered Nihon Kotsu's acquisition of all shares in Tokyo Hikari Kotsu. |
| 2013 | Sell-Side Financial Advisor | MBO of KRDC, Gradco Japan's South Korean subsidiary |
| 2013 | Sell-Side Financial Advisor | Transfer of a Minority Shareholding in a Listed Company |
| 2013 | Sell-Side Financial Advisor | Transfer of the Dippin' Dots Ice Cream Business ↗Supported the transfer of Gradco Japan's Japanese business to Wellness Hanshin. Strike acted as the buy-side financial advisor. |
Includes transactions where company names are withheld. For linked transactions, see the relevant announcement for details.
From Consultation to Closing
The specific process varies by transaction, but it generally follows these steps.
- Consultation: Clarifying Objectives and Conditions
We review the company and business, reasons for considering a sale, preferred timing, and nonnegotiable terms. Before engagement, we confirm the scope, fees, and whether we act as intermediary or financial adviser.
- Preparing Materials and Considering Counterparties
We organize financial statements and business characteristics, then consider valuation and potential counterparties. Information is disclosed to the other party in stages, with confidentiality and the scope of disclosure checked along the way.
- Meetings, Negotiation, and Preliminary Agreement
We discuss management policy and the business after the handover, considering employment, the owner's future involvement, and the transfer method as well as price. A preliminary agreement does not mean the final transaction is assured.
- Due diligence support and definitive agreement
Terms are refined in light of the buyer's financial, tax, and legal due diligence. An owner's personal guarantees are not automatically released when the company is sold. Arrangements with lenders, release procedures, and any continuing obligations after the sale should also be checked before signing.
- Closing and Handover
We confirm that contractual conditions are met, settle payment, and transfer shares or the business. It is also important to define the duration and responsibilities for the subsequent handover.
Beyond the Sale, Toward a Happy Retirement.
The sale price and the amount you actually retain are not the same. Tax burdens and cash flows vary depending on whether you sell shares or the company sells its business, and who receives the proceeds. It is important to consider living costs after the sale and how assets will be held.
Starting a new life as a couple, moving overseas, or starting another business. Working backward from your desired lifestyle can change your approach to sale timing and the handover period. If you will relocate overseas, the sequence of sale and relocation, including Japan's exit tax, needs advance consideration.
Consider M&A with both the company's succession and your own next chapter in mind.
Tax Consultations Involving Overseas Relocation →
Typically, for sellers, M&A is a "once-in-a-lifetime event" or "a rare and major transaction," so to help our clients grasp the big picture of M&A from the start, we provide them with easy-to-understand booklets and pamphlets.
Please ask if you would like a copy of the booklet. We will send it as promptly as possible.
Request the Booklet →M&A Brokerage Fee Schedule (For Sellers)
| Initial consultation | Free |
|---|---|
| retainer fee | None (free) |
| Interim fee | None (free) |
| Basis for Calculating the Success Fee | Sale proceeds Debt is not added. |
| Minimum success fee | JPY 20,000,000 (excluding tax) |
These are Yanagisawa Research Institute Co., Ltd.'s terms for sellers. Before engagement, we individually confirm success fee rates and calculations, total costs including tax and expenses, and payment timing. Roles and fees depend on whether you request intermediary comparison and selection, introductions, intermediation, or financial advisory services.
Related M&A Articles
- The M&A Process: From Consultation to Closing
- Whose Interests Do M&A Brokers and Financial Advisers Negotiate For?
- M&A Company Valuation: How Many Times Profit Determines a Company's Price
- M&A Taxes and Net Proceeds: Share Sales Versus Business Transfers
- Seller Responsibilities After M&A: Representations, Warranties, Indemnities, and Personal Guarantees
Tell us about your M&A plans.
Start with an Email Inquiry
If you are considering selling or handing over your company, tell us about your current situation and goals. The initial M&A consultation is free.
Submitting an inquiry alone does not incur a fee.