Stage 03 · Local Partner Search Support
Find the right partner
in Japan — methodically
A partner relationship in Japan tends to matter more and last longer than elsewhere. Getting to the right shortlist — people who fit your criteria and can be approached thoughtfully — makes the difference between a first meeting that goes somewhere and one that does not.
What this delivers
A screened shortlist of potential partners, an approach that fits the local context, and support through the first meetings
The Local Partner Search Support covers the process from criteria definition through to the first meetings with potential partners. We help you establish what you are actually looking for, compile a longlist of candidates that fit those criteria, screen them against your priorities, and then prepare for the outreach and initial meetings in a way that fits how introductions work here.
We also attend up to three initial meetings in an advisory capacity. This is not just practical support — it is a way of ensuring that what is said in the room is understood accurately on both sides, and that the meeting goes somewhere rather than ending as a polite exchange with no clear next step.
The engagement runs six to eight weeks. It is a considered process, not a fast one, because partner relationships in Japan are not typically built quickly — and the groundwork laid in the early stages tends to shape how the relationship develops.
Where companies without a Japan network find themselves
Japan's partner landscape is not difficult to navigate — but it requires being navigated correctly from the start
Most foreign companies entering Japan do not have an existing network here. That is not unusual — Japan is a market where relationships take time to develop, and there is no reason to have them in advance unless you have already been operating here in some capacity.
The challenge is that the standard approaches that work elsewhere — a cold email to the sales director, a message via a professional network, attendance at a trade event — tend not to produce the same results in Japan. Introductions matter here in a way that is structural rather than merely cultural. How you first approach a potential partner, and through what channel, shapes how the relationship begins and whether it develops at all.
Beyond the approach itself, the question of who to approach is not always obvious. The right partner for your product and stage may not be the largest or most visible name in the sector — it may be a company that operates below that level but has the right distribution reach, the right client relationships, and the capacity to take on a new foreign principal without it being a footnote in their portfolio.
Our approach
Criteria first, then candidates, then a considered approach — in that order
We begin by working with you to define what you are actually looking for in a partner. This sounds straightforward, but it often surfaces assumptions that are worth examining — about size, sector position, geographic reach, and the degree of exclusivity you are prepared to offer. Getting the criteria clear before building the longlist means the screening process is useful rather than circular.
The longlist draws on sector knowledge and available information about companies operating in your category in Japan. We then screen against your criteria and produce a shortlist with background notes — enough for you to understand who each candidate is, what they do, and why they appear on the list.
The outreach approach is designed for the Japanese context. We review your introductory materials — pitch decks, company overviews, product documentation — and advise on what needs to be adjusted in format, length, or tone. We attend the first meetings in an advisory capacity, which means we can help ensure the conversation is understood accurately on both sides and that the right questions get asked.
What working together looks like
Six to eight weeks, structured so that each stage prepares the next
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1.
Criteria definition
We work with you to establish what you are looking for in a partner — sector position, scale, distribution reach, exclusivity terms, and the degree of involvement you expect from them. This takes one to two weeks and may involve a few rounds of exchange as assumptions surface.
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2.
Longlist and screening
We compile a longlist of candidate companies and screen them against your criteria. The result is a shortlist with background notes on each candidate — who they are, what they do, and why they appear on the list.
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3.
Materials review and outreach preparation
We review your introductory materials and advise on any adjustments needed for a Japanese business context. We then prepare the outreach approach — how and through what channel to make the first contact with each shortlisted company.
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4.
Outreach and first meetings
Outreach begins with the shortlisted companies. We attend up to three initial meetings in an advisory capacity — in person where practical, via video call otherwise. Our role in the meetings is to support rather than lead, and to ensure what is said in the room is understood accurately on both sides.
Investment
¥44,000 for the complete six-to-eight-week engagement
The fee covers the full engagement: criteria definition, longlist compilation, screening with background notes, outreach approach, bilingual materials review, and attendance at up to three initial meetings. There are no additional charges within the scope of the engagement.
For context: the time required to build a credible longlist from scratch, screen it properly, understand local outreach conventions, and prepare materials that work in a Japanese business context — if done without this kind of support — typically runs to several months and often produces less targeted results, because the people doing it are learning the market as they go.
Payment is arranged directly. We confirm the method when you get in touch.
Everything included
How we measure progress
The shortlist is not the outcome. The first meetings that go somewhere are.
A list of company names is not useful on its own. What matters is that the companies on the list are genuinely suited to your situation, that the outreach reaches the right people in the right way, and that the first meetings are conversations rather than presentations into silence.
We consider the engagement successful when, at the end of the initial meetings, there is at least one candidate relationship that has a clear and agreed next step — whether that is a further meeting, a request for documentation, or an invitation to visit their facilities. That is not a guarantee we can make, but it is the standard we work toward.
We are also clear that not every candidate on the shortlist will progress past the first meeting. That is normal. The point of a screened shortlist is that the companies who do not progress have been ruled out on considered grounds, not by chance or poor preparation.
Our commitment
We will tell you if your situation is not suited to this kind of search before any work begins
Partner search is not suitable for every company at every stage. If your product is not yet at a stage where a credible conversation with a Japanese partner company is possible — because the product itself is not ready, because the commercial terms are not yet workable, or because the sector does not lend itself to a partner model — we will say so plainly during the initial conversation.
If we begin the engagement and find, during the longlist or screening stage, that the criteria you have defined do not match what is available in the market, we will come back to you with that information before continuing. Partner search done against the wrong criteria is not useful to anyone.
The initial conversation carries no obligation. If the fit is not right at this stage, we will say so and, where we can, suggest what would need to change before this kind of search becomes productive.
How to proceed
A short note is enough to begin
Use the contact form on our home page to describe your product or service, where you are in your entry planning, and what kind of partner you think you need. If you have already done some thinking about criteria, include it — it helps us understand your situation more quickly. If you have not, that is fine; working out the criteria is part of what the engagement does.
We will come back to you within a few working days with a response that addresses your situation. If it looks like a good fit, we confirm the scope and timeline before any work begins.
The full engagement runs six to eight weeks from confirmed scope to the final meeting attended. We set the timeline at the start and keep to it.
After you reach out
- 1. We read your message and respond within a few working days
- 2. We confirm scope, timeline, and payment arrangement
- 3. Criteria definition begins — the first substantive step of the engagement
- 4. Longlist, screening, outreach, and meetings follow in sequence
Local Partner Search Support · ¥44,000
Tell us about your situation and what kind of partner you are looking for
If you have decided how you want to enter Japan and now need to find the right local partner to make it work, this engagement is designed for that stage. The initial conversation carries no obligation and takes a few minutes to start.
Get in touch