Japan M&A / Private mandates

Japan M&A advisory, from mandate to control.

Aplash supports overseas buyers, owners and founders through Japan buy-side, sell-side and shelf-company transactions. We define the mandate, run bilingual outreach, maintain the diligence list and coordinate retained advisers through signing and handover.

Need an existing company? View shelf profiles - from USD 7,000
  • English-led mandate
  • Japanese evidence and counterparty coordination
  • Named specialist workstreams
Tokyo business district architecture
Japan transaction dossier / Aplash

Choose the outcome. We will structure the route.

Shelf-company acquisition

Consider an existing company when continuity has specific value.

A candidate company provides an existing registry history to review. Some profiles also have a current banking relationship that the buyer can present for the bank's independent new-owner review.

Current profile categories / Subject to availability and diligence
Shelf-company acquisition profiles and starting acquisition prices
ProfileStarting acquisition priceDiligence and bank reviewOrder
Candidate with an internet-bank relationshipFrom USD 7,000Candidate profile with an existing internet-bank relationship. Availability, account status, and continued access are confirmed through diligence and the bank's independent new-owner review.Order this profile online
JPY 10M+ registered capitalFrom USD 10,000Candidate profile with at least JPY 10 million of registered capital. Current cash, net assets, and liabilities are confirmed separately in diligence.Order this profile online
Candidate with a major-bank relationshipFrom USD 20,000Candidate profile with an existing major-bank relationship. Availability, account status, and continued access are confirmed through diligence and the bank's independent new-owner review.Order this profile online
  1. Verify target
  2. Agree share transfer
  3. Update ownership and registry
  4. Complete bank review
  5. Handover

The company is acquired by documented share transfer. We verify corporate history, ownership, liabilities, tax position and account status before closing, then coordinate the new-owner review.

Starting acquisition prices for candidate companies. Target availability, diligence, registry work, taxes, retained-professional fees, and bank-review work are scoped separately.
Compare with a new KK or GK The order pages and the service agreement are in English.
Japan transaction team reviewing a document set together

Inside the mandate

A Japan deal moves through people, evidence and timing.

Translation is only one layer. We keep the commercial question beside the Japanese source record, the person responsible for it and the decision it can change.

Commercial
What is the buyer really acquiring?
Evidence
Which source proves the claim?
Execution
Who must act before control can transfer?
See how the transaction moves
  • Industrial & manufacturing
  • Technology & IP
  • Consumer & retail
  • Logistics & services

Transaction map

One lead keeps four moving parts connected.

Client

Buyer or owner

Outcome, authority, budget and decision.

Transaction lead

Aplash

Mandate, outreach, information flow and issue map.

Market

Target or buyer

Access, NDA, evidence, offers and negotiation.

Outcome

Close and handover

Signatures, funds, filings and operating control.

  • Mandate briefwhat success means
  • Evidence registerwhat is proven or missing
  • Red-flag memowhat could change the deal
  • Terms trackerwhat remains open
  • Closing mapwho acts before control transfers

Choose the direction

Buying and selling meet at closing. They start differently.

Buy-side

Acquire a Japanese company

  1. 01

    Define the thesis

    Approved acquisition brief

  2. 02

    Find and qualify

    Target shortlist and approach plan

  3. 03

    Test the target

    Evidence register and red flags

  4. 04

    Agree price and risk

    Terms and negotiation tracker

  5. 05

    Transfer control

    Closing and 100-day handover

Sell-side

Prepare a confidential sale

  1. 01

    Prepare the evidence

    Readiness review

  2. 02

    Position the business

    Teaser and information index

  3. 03

    Qualify buyers

    Buyer shortlist and NDA route

  4. 04

    Compare offers

    Offer and risk comparison

  5. 05

    Close and hand over

    Closing and transition plan

Diligence map

Six reviews lead to one commercial decision.

Diligence workstreams, the evidence reviewed and the decision each one drives
WorkstreamEvidence reviewedDecision it drivesLead
Corporate and ownershipRegistry, shareholders, board records and material filingsTitle, control and legacy issuesJapan counsel and judicial scrivener, as applicable
Financial and taxAccounts, debt, tax returns, cash and working capitalEarnings quality, debt and tax exposuresCPA and tax accountant
CommercialCustomer, supplier and material contract evidenceRevenue quality and change-of-control riskAplash and sector specialists
PeopleEmployment, payroll and social-insurance recordsLiabilities, retention and transfer issuesLabour specialist and counsel
RegulatoryLicences, permits and authority recordsTransferability, approvals and timingRelevant Japan-licensed specialist
Banking and AMLAccount status, KYC, beneficial owner and source of fundsOwnership-change requirements and funds flowAplash coordination; the bank decides
Automotive manufacturing line in operation

Valuation in context

Value lives in the operation, not the headline multiple.

Customer concentration, working capital, licences, people, assets and transfer constraints can matter more than a broad industry benchmark. We connect the valuation question to the evidence and the deal term it affects.

  • Earnings qualityWhat is repeatable after control changes?
  • Cash and debtWhat moves with the shares?
  • Operating dependenciesWhich owner, customer or licence cannot simply transfer?
  • Closing riskWhat belongs in price, conditions or warranties?

Transaction gates

Five approvals that move a transaction forward.

  1. 01

    Define the mandate

    Confirm the outcome, parties, timing, budget and facts that could change the route.

  2. 02

    Screen the route

    Compare target, structure and execution options before committing to full diligence.

  3. 03

    Verify the evidence

    Test ownership, value, liabilities, contracts, people and regulated dependencies.

  4. 04

    Agree executable terms

    Resolve price, conditions, risk allocation, approvals and specialist work.

  5. 05

    Close and hand over

    Coordinate signatures, funds flow, filings, control transfer and immediate priorities.

Fee structure

How M&A fees are scoped.

Initial route assessment

Feasibility, route and scope are confirmed first.

Before the full mandate

Mandate retainer

Covers the defined search, preparation or transaction-control work.

At agreed workstream start

Specialist scope

Legal, accounting, tax and regulated work is scoped by role.

When specialist review is required

Success component

The trigger and calculation are written into the engagement before work begins.

Only where applicable
A professional reviewing transaction information on a tablet

Controlled disclosure

Control who receives documents, and when.

The access register records the recipient, document set, approval and release date for each disclosure.

  • Named owner for every open item
  • Versioned evidence register
  • Staged counterparty disclosure
  • Bilingual issue and decision log
  • Closing dependencies visible before signature

Questions that should be answered early.

Choose a question

How are shelf-company profiles priced?

Current profile categories start at USD 7,000, USD 10,000 and USD 20,000.

Final scope depends on target availability, the company selected and the diligence required before acquisition.

What happens to an existing banking relationship after ownership changes?

The buyer acquires shares in the company, not a bank account.

The bank reviews the new beneficial owner, representative, business purpose and source of funds. An existing relationship may provide useful operating context, but continued access remains the bank's decision.

What is included in a buy-side or sell-side mandate?

The written mandate defines the route, deliverables, decision gates and responsibilities.

It may include strategy, target or buyer mapping, confidential outreach, evidence control, diligence coordination, negotiation support, closing dependencies and handover planning.

Who provides legal, tax and accounting conclusions?

Reserved conclusions come from the appropriately retained professional, while Aplash leads the route.

Aplash leads the cross-border transaction route and coordinates the evidence and workstreams. Conclusions reserved to lawyers, accountants, tax professionals or other licensed specialists are provided by the appropriately retained professional.

How long does a Japan transaction take?

Timing depends on target access, diligence readiness, negotiations, financing and approvals.

We map the critical path and decision gates at the start rather than promise a generic completion date.

How is confidentiality controlled before a counterparty is approached?

Identity and information are released in stages.

The mandate sets the permitted approach route, NDA sequence, access level and owner for each disclosure decision.

Tell us what you plan to buy, sell or acquire in Japan.

Include the company or sector, buyer or seller role, target timing, budget range and any confidentiality constraint. We will identify the first information required.