The services we provide

The services we provide fall into three basic categories, depending on the type of investment you will be making in Japan.

Due diligence

First, we provide a technical due diligence service, for those seeking to acquire a Japanese partner through M&A, or as a joint venture. We examine the IT operations of a company, and summarize our findings to assist your decision-making process.

Technical discovery

This differs from our due diligence service in that is essentially the analysis of a working system with a view to examining it with a view to changing it in the future as a result of problems that have been already noticed. This is a particularly useful service for overseas companies who have already invested in Japan, but are dubious about the nature of the investment.

Venture capital services

Japan's venture capital market is growing. There are many entrepreneurs in today's Japan, but some of the concepts they are proposing may need interpretation, from both the technical and social stabndpoints.

How we work

We do not believe that technical discovery is simply a matter of the machinery installed, and we operate on the "4Ps" principle of Product, People, Processes, and Partners, taking a holistic look at the IT infrastructure and processes deployed within a Japanese target company.

The focus of the j-views team is always you, the client. We won’t bring you only the good news simply because that’s what you want to hear. On the other hand, because of our in-Japan experience, we are able to see Japanese business practices in perspective. What may seem very strange, even wrong, to those newly arrived on the Japanese business scene may in fact be a standard Japanese working practice, with its own rationale, not obvious at first sight.

Our first step within a project is to define and determine exactly what you need in terms of information and the way we present it to you. Sometimes a short post-investigation briefing is sufficient; at other times, a fuller written report is required.

Working in small flexible teams allows us to provide all-round answers from a variety of standpoints without getting bogged down in endless meetings and lengthy internal progress reports.

Because we speak the language of the IT staff in the target companies (both Japanese and geek-speak), we get the results you need fast and accurately.

And when it comes to reports, everyone prefers plain clear language—so that’s what we give you. With years of experience writing for a wide variety of audiences, from Japanese Prime Ministers down, we are confident that we can meet your needs.

We’ve learned the rules of the game...

...so you don’t have to play the heavy. In Japanese business culture, non-Japanese “outsiders” are often regarded as being heavy-handed and intrusive. With many years of Japanese life and experience, the j-views team is sensitive to the nuances of Japanese business etiquette.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t ask the tough questions to get the answers you need—but it does mean that we avoid unnecessary bruising and damage along the way.

Knowing when to stop talking and start listening is a useful skill anywhere in the world, but particularly so in Japan, when even silences in a conversation can be charged with significance.

Furthermore, by using j-views as an outside consultancy, your organization helps to minimize conflict with possible future partners by outsourcing any potential friction caused by the introduction of inquisitive outsiders.