Kawamata

What Kawamata does

Kawamata Kankosha Co., Ltd. (株式会社 川又感光社) is a privately held Japanese document and information services company founded in March 1961 in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, currently led by second-generation representative director 川又俊之. The firm operates five branch offices covering Ibaraki Prefecture (Mito HQ, Katsuta, Kashima, Tsukuba) and Fukushima Prefecture, with a Drone Air subsidiary division that holds nationwide MLIT blanket UAV approval and serves all 47 prefectures. Headcount is stated at approximately 50 employees with paid-in capital of ¥10 million.

The company runs a four-pillar portfolio: (1) print and finishing services (offset, on-demand, large-format, variable-data printing; binding; lamination; folding); (2) design and web design (flyers, posters, banners, business cards, WordPress/CMS websites); (3) scanning and digitization, anchored by book2net Flash large-format scanners and the K-BOX fixed-rate scanning service, including paper, microfilm, bound documents, and damaged drawings; and (4) civil-engineering support — CAD data entry, GIS development (Lookas Series for agriculture; ジオTouch mobile GIS), drone surveying (green-laser, multi-sonar, photogrammetry), electronic bidding/delivery (CALS/EC), and i-Construction support. The proprietary Probum brand packages consumer photobooks including a patented same-day wedding album (Patent No. 4994512), and the OA-equipment business resells Canon, Ricoh, Fujifilm, and other hardware via the Tanomail (Otsuka Shokai) e-commerce channel.

Kawamata monetizes through professional service fees (drone survey projects ¥600k–¥4M, website redesigns, civil-engineering support retainers), unit-priced print/photobook sales (business cards from ¥1,650; photobook albums ¥4,000–¥7,400; calendars ¥550–¥2,100), one-time software licenses (STAFile Report IV ¥50,600–¥165,000), and hardware sales/leasing. Customers span Ibaraki/Fukushima prefectural and municipal governments, civil-engineering and construction contractors, large industrial enterprises (Hitachi, Nippon Steel, NTT, TEPCO Kashima), Tsukuba-area research institutions (JAEA), local SMBs, and individual consumers. Certifications include ISO 9001:2000 (2001), Privacy Mark (2011), registered surveying business (2004), labor dispatch registration (2005), and 2023 NETIS recommended-technology designation for the TDOT drone laser series.

Name

Kawamata

Legal name

株式会社 川又感光社

Website

https://k-kawamata.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kawamata is a privately held Japanese document services firm (est. 1961, Mito, Ibaraki) offering printing, design, scanning/digitization, CAD/GIS, drone surveying, and photobook products to prefectural governments, civil-engineering contractors, and local enterprises across Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Printing and Information Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drone/UAV Data Capture & Processing Software (AFAAAFAH), Environmental Reporting, Dashboards & Regulatory Submittals (Automated Reports, e-Reporting) (EUAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Commercial printing services
• Drone surveying services
• Document digitization services
• Civil engineering CAD support
• Graphic design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mito

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Printing and Copying Services: Offset printing for high-volume commercial work (CMYK), on-demand printing for short-run jobs, large-format printing for banners and posters, variable data printing for personalized DM and tickets. Both offset and digital production.
2. Design Services: Graphic design for posters, flyers, brochures, banners, business cards, shop cards, and other print materials. Includes web design and SEO services.
3. Scanning and Document Digitization: Document scanning services for paper materials, microfilm, bound documents, and damaged drawings. Large-format drawing scanning using book2net Flash. Subscription-style K-BOX fixed-rate scanning service.
4. CAD, GIS, and Civil Engineering Support: CAD data entry, surveying, GIS development, drone-based surveying (UAV/laser/multi-sonar), electronic delivery support, electronic bidding setup. i-Construction support services.
5. Photobook and Photo Products (Probum): Original branded photo album and photobook products including wedding same-day albums (patented), personal photobooks, sports team albums, commemorative panels, custom calendars, and playing cards.
6. OA Equipment Sales and Leasing: Sales and leasing of PCs, peripherals, network equipment, and digital copiers from Canon, Ricoh, Fujifilm, Epson, HP, Dell, NEC, Fujitsu, I-O DATA, and Buffalo.
7. Tanomail Partnership (たのめーる): Partner channel arrangement with Otsuka Shokai's Tanomail e-commerce platform. Approximately 65,000 office supply and equipment items. Commission or margin-based revenue through partner reseller relationship.
8. Publications: Sale of self-published historical and cultural materials including replica historical maps and war record documents.
9. Promotional Goods and Novelty Items: Custom-printed toilet paper, pocket tissues, box tissues, T-shirts, and novelty promotional items.
10. Drone Surveying Services: UAV-based 3D surveying including green laser, multi-sonar, and photo surveying. i-Construction support. Service fees for drone photography, video, and 3D modeling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kawamata is a regional information services company that delivers commercial printing and finishing (offset, on-demand, large-format, variable data), graphic and web design, CAD/GIS civil engineering support, drone-based 3D surveying (Drone Air), CALS/EC electronic government delivery, document digitization using book2net Flash scanners, and Probum branded photobook/photo album products. It operates five branches across Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures, targeting government agencies, civil engineering/construction firms, and local enterprises, with drone surveying services offered nationwide.

Product overview

Kawamata (株式会社川又感光社) is a comprehensive document and information services company based in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, with over 60 years of history. The company operates a multi-product portfolio organized into several core divisions: (1) Print & Copy services including offset printing, on-demand printing, large format printing, and variable data printing; (2) Professional finishing services including binding, lamination, and folding; (3) Design services for promotional materials including flyers, brochures, posters, banners, and business cards; (4) Probum branded photo album and photobook products including wedding albums, personal photo books, custom playing cards, and calendars; (5) Scanning and digitization services using professional equipment including book2net Flash scanners; (6) Web design and development services; (7) Civil engineering support services including CAD/GIS, drone surveying (branded as ドローンエア/Drone Air), i-Construction support, electronic bidding, and GIS solutions like ジオTouch; and (8) Office supplies and equipment sales. The drone division specializes in aerial photography, 3D measurement, green laser surveying for underwater terrain, and multi-beam sonar surveys. The company also develops proprietary software including STAFile Report for agricultural administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Probum（プロバム）: Photo book and album creation service - includes wedding same-day photo albums, personal photo books, sports club albums, calendars, and custom playing cards
• ドローンエア（Drone Air）
• 青空eyes
• K-BOX
• BLUE PRINT（ブループリント）
• ジオTouch
• STAFile Report
• トコトン印刷

Products and services

• Commercial Printing and Copy Services Comprehensive printing services including offset printing (CMYK four-color high-volume runs), on-demand digital printing for short runs, large-format printing (posters, banners, signs larger than A2), variable data printing using CSV data for personalized DM and name cards, and monochrome/color document copying for businesses and government.
• Finishing and Binding Services Professional finishing services including bookbinding for various specifications, hot and cold lamination for durability and water resistance, and paper folding (bi-fold, quad-fold, accordion fold, map fold).
• Graphic Design Services Graphic design for flyers, brochures, posters, banners, business cards, and shop cards, including large format and large-volume projects for government agencies and local businesses.
• Website Design and Development Website design and development services including responsive homepage creation, mobile optimization, SEO improvement, and CMS integration using WordPress for local businesses, healthcare facilities, and government organizations.
• Probum Photo Album and Photobook Products Original Probum branded photo albums and photobooks including Probum for Wedding (patented same-day album, Patent No. 4994512), personal photobooks, sports team photo albums (8/16/24-page soft and hardcover), custom playing cards (6,050 yen per box), and desktop/wall calendars.
• Document Digitization and Scanning Services Document scanning services handling paper, microfilm, double-sided documents, color originals, bound documents, and degraded drawings, including Japanese washi paper repair for damaged historical drawings. Uses book2net Flash large-format scanner for high-speed bound document scanning at 1 second per page.
• K-BOX Fixed-Rate Document Scanning Service Subscription-style fixed-rate box-based document scanning service for customers with large volumes of records to digitize.
• CAD Drafting and Surveying Services CAD drafting and surveying services for civil engineering, architecture, and construction projects, supporting both paper and digital workflows for government and private-sector clients.
• GIS Development Services GIS system development including the Lookas Series agricultural GIS (LookasFarm, LookasView, LookasCrops) for farmland management, agricultural committee operations, and water usage optimization, using ArcGIS and SIS platforms.
• GeoTouch Mobile GIS Solution Tablet-based mobile GIS package combining Android tablet hardware, NTT GEOSPACE CDS 1/2500 topographic maps and aerial photos, communications, and software licenses for field surveys in agriculture, infrastructure, disaster prevention, and tax administration.
• Electronic Government Project Delivery (CALS/EC) Electronic delivery support services for government construction and survey deliverables, including CAD data preparation, PDF conversion, scanning, file systematization, and CD-ROM creation compliant with Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism standards.
• Electronic Bidding and Procurement Support Electronic bidding setup services including TDB Electronic Authentication Service TypeA IC card configuration for national government ministries and Ibaraki Prefecture municipalities.
• i-Construction and 3D Surveying Support ICT construction support services using UAV drones, 3D laser scanners, MMS, GNSS, and total stations for 3D measurement and surveying, helping contractors meet i-Construction productivity requirements.
• Drone Air UAV Surveying Services UAV-based 3D surveying services using TDOT series green laser for combined land-water terrain measurement, multi-sonar underwater surveying for harbors and dams, and photogrammetry. Holds MLIT nationwide blanket approval enabling operations in all 47 prefectures; reference prices range from 600,000 to 4,000,000+ yen per project.
• Drone Aerial Photography and Filming Drone-based aerial photography and video editing service branded as 青空eyes, including 4K video production for promotional content; still photography from 35,000 yen plus travel fees.
• Drone 3D Content Creation Drone-based 3D content creation using photogrammetry and 3D scanning technology for polygon and point cloud data generation.
• STAFile Report IV Software Microsoft Excel-based report creation management software for agricultural multi-functional payment reporting, compatible with Ibaraki Prefecture standards. Available as perpetual license (50,600 to 165,000 yen) with annual upgrade contracts (19,800 yen/year).
• Office Automation Equipment Sales and Leasing Sales and leasing of PCs, peripherals, network equipment, and digital copiers from Canon, Ricoh, Fujifilm, Epson, HP, Dell, NEC, Fujitsu, I-O DATA, and Buffalo.
• Promotional Items and Custom Novelties Custom-printed promotional items including branded toilet paper, pocket tissues, box tissues, T-shirts, and polo shirts manufactured via the T-shirt Factory service.
• Tanomail Office Supply Partnership Partner vendor arrangement with Otsuka Shokai's Tanomail e-commerce platform offering approximately 65,000 office supply and equipment items to customers in Ibaraki and surrounding prefectures.

Quantifiable outcome

• book2net Flash scanner achieves ~1 second per page scanning speed for bound documents
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers37 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Otsuka Shokai (株式会社大塚商会)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKawamata is a registered partner vendor on Otsuka Shokai's Tanomail (たのめーる) e-commerce platform. This partnership allows Kawamata to sell office supplies, OA equipment, and Kawamata-produced goods (~65,000 items) through the Tanomail platform. Otsuka Shokai handles platform operations, order processing, and delivery logistics for this channel. Kawamata provides customer support for product inquiries and handles goods delivery.
• Canon, Ricoh, Fujifilm (キヤノン、リコー、富士ゼロックス)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKawamata is an authorized reseller of Canon, Ricoh, and Fujiferox office equipment including digital copiers, multifunction devices, and related supplies. Equipment sales and leasing are listed as a product category.
• EPSON, HP, Dell, NEC, Fujitsu, I-O DATA, BuffalominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKawamata resells various brands of PCs, peripherals, network equipment, and computer accessories from these manufacturers as part of its OA equipment sales category.
• Amuse Oneself (アミューズワンセルフ)coreTechnology or IntegrationAmuse Oneself's TDOT series drone laser scanning equipment (including TDOT GREEN for water-terrain surveying) is a core technology for Kawamata's drone surveying division. Kawamata holds exclusive or preferred access to these technologies for surveying applications, and the TDOT series has been designated as NETIS recommended technology by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pasco Corporation: Japan's largest publicly listed surveying and GIS company, providing aerial surveying, geospatial data, and disaster-prevention analytics. Directly comparable to Kawamata's CAD/GIS and UAV surveying business but at vastly larger national scale and with broader government contracts.
• Topcon Corporation: Major Japanese manufacturer of surveying instruments, GNSS, and laser equipment. Comparable to Kawamata at the equipment-and-surveying intersection, though Topcon operates upstream as a hardware vendor rather than as a service provider like Kawamata.
• Kokusai Kogyo: Established Japanese surveying, aerial mapping, and consulting firm (Hitachi group). Comparable to Kawamata in core surveying and GIS offerings, but operates nationally with deeper enterprise relationships and a broader consulting practice.
• Dai Nippon Printing (DNP): One of Japan's largest printing and information services conglomerates. Comparable to Kawamata's commercial offset/digital printing, design, and photobook segments, but at vastly larger national scale and with deeper enterprise and consumer reach.
• Zenrin: Japan's leading residential and commercial map data company, with significant GIS and location-data operations. Comparable to Kawamata's GIS and digital-mapping capabilities (Lookas Series, GeoTouch), though Zenrin focuses on map data products at national scale rather than localized surveying services.

Emerging players

• Sensyn Robotics: Japanese drone solutions provider for infrastructure inspection, surveying, and disaster response. Comparable to Kawamata's UAV surveying business in use cases (infrastructure, dams, ports) but with a more software-centric and nationally deployed model.
• Terra Drone: Japanese drone services company specializing in surveying, inspection, and industrial UAV solutions. Comparable to Kawamata's drone-based 3D surveying and LiDAR work but with national reach and venture capital backing, making it a more scalable emerging competitor.

Direct peers

• Nakanihon Air Service: Aerial photography, surveying, and inspection services provider with deep experience in photogrammetry and aerial imaging. Comparable to Kawamata's drone aerial photography and 3D photogrammetry offerings, particularly for government and infrastructure customers.
• Asia Air Survey: Japanese aerial surveying and geospatial data specialist focused on photogrammetry, LiDAR, and remote sensing. Closely comparable to Kawamata's Drone Air UAV-based 3D surveying and green-laser capabilities, with overlapping target customers in government and infrastructure.

Others

• Otsuka Shokai: Major Japanese office-equipment and office-supply distribution company that operates the Tanomail platform. Kawamata is a partner vendor on Tanomail, making Otsuka Shokai both a channel partner and an adjacent ecosystem participant in the regional office-services market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kawamatakankosha
• Instagraminstagram.com/droneair932/?locale=ja_JP

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kawamata