Aoyama Trust

What Aoyama Trust does

Aoyama Trust Accounting Firm (青山トラスト会計社) is a Tokyo-based professional services firm founded in June 2006 by Representative Partner Masahiko Kume (久米 雅彦) that specializes in financial due diligence (財務デューデリジェンス) for M&A transactions, business recovery, and business succession engagements. The firm has completed over 1,000 financial due diligence cases since its founding, accumulating an industry-specific case study library spanning manufacturing, construction, IT systems development, wholesale, logistics, retail (supermarket), restaurant, and medical corporation sectors.

The firm's core service is comprehensive financial DD to identify risks in target companies' financial status, earnings power, and balance sheets for M&A and business revival purposes. Adjacent services include M&A advisory (business valuation, PMI, PPA), corporate recovery and financial restructuring support (including civil rehabilitation and corporate reorganization proceedings), management system building (business planning, budgeting, fund management, consolidated accounting, costing), and financial/accounting advisory for SMEs and listed companies. Service delivery is led by CPAs and tax accountants, with partners drawn from Big 4 audit firm alumni (principally EY Shinnihon). The firm is supported by two affiliated entities: the tax accounting corporation 税理士法人青山会計社 and the wholly-owned subsidiary 青山トラストBizサポート (established January 2024) focused on management consulting.

The business model is fee-based professional services with direct engagement as the primary go-to-market motion, supplemented by referrals from financial institutions, M&A advisors, and legal/consulting professionals. The firm operates from three offices (Tokyo headquarters, Osaka, Nagoya) covering the Japanese market nationwide with a small additional share of overseas engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows standard professional services quoting based on transaction complexity and scope. Clients split roughly 50.1% listed companies and 44.8% unlisted SMEs, with the remaining 5.1% comprising financial institutions, M&A advisors, and other categories.

Name

Aoyama Trust

Legal name

株式会社青山トラスト会計社

Website

https://aotru.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aoyama Trust Accounting Firm is a Tokyo-based Japanese professional services firm specializing in financial due diligence for M&A transactions, business recovery, and SME succession, serving listed companies, unlisted SMEs, financial institutions, and M&A advisors with over 1,000 completed engagements since its 2006 founding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fairness Opinions & Independent Board Advice (FSAEAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Due Diligence & Third-Party Risk Investigations (BPAKAEAC)

Keywords

• Financial due diligence
• M&A advisory services
• Corporate restructuring
• Accounting advisory
• Management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Financial Due Diligence Services: Primary revenue stream from comprehensive financial due diligence services for M&A transactions, business rehabilitation, and business succession. Services include pre-transaction financial investigation, risk assessment, and valuation support.
2. M&A Advisory Services: Supporting services including business valuation, PMI (Post Merger Integration), and M&A execution support. Revenue generated from advisory fees for transaction structuring and deal support.
3. Business Recovery Services: Financial restructuring and corporate recovery services including scheme development, due diligence, and creditor negotiation support.
4. Financial Advisory Services: Financial consulting services for SMEs including management advisory, accounting advisory for listed companies, and management system construction support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aoyama Trust is a Japanese professional services firm that specializes in financial due diligence for M&A transactions, supporting corporate buyers, sellers, and financial intermediaries in evaluating target companies. The firm also provides related services in corporate recovery/restructuring, management system building, and accounting advisory, having completed more than 1,000 financial due diligence engagements since its founding.

Product overview

Aoyama Trust Accounting Firm is a professional services firm specializing in financial due diligence, offering a comprehensive portfolio of services centered on financial due diligence (DD) as the core competency. The firm provides M&A-related services including valuation, PMI (post-merger integration), and PPA (purchase price allocation); business revival services encompassing financial restructuring, corporate recovery, and legal restructuring support; and management system building services covering business planning, budgeting, fund management, profit/loss management by division, costing, and consolidated accounting systems. Additional services include financial and accounting advisory for both SMEs and listed companies. The firm operates through its main entity and affiliated companies including 税理士法人青山会計社 (tax corporation) and株式会社青山トラストBizサポート (subsidiary for management consulting).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 税理士法人青山会計社: Tax accounting services subsidiary mentioned in privacy policy

Products and services

• Financial Due Diligence (財務デューデリジェンス) Independent review of a target company's financial position, including historical earnings quality, working capital, net debt, and identification of financial risks, delivered to corporate buyers, sellers, and financial intermediaries in M&A transactions.
• M&A Advisory Support Accounting and financial advisory support for clients engaged in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other corporate transactions, complementing the financial due diligence offering.
• Corporate Recovery and Restructuring Advisory support for financially distressed Japanese corporates, lenders, and sponsors covering turnaround planning, financial restructuring, and management-led recovery initiatives.
• Management System Building (管理会計 / 管理制度構築) Design and implementation of management accounting frameworks, internal reporting systems, and management controls for corporate clients seeking to strengthen financial governance and performance management.
• Accounting Advisory Services Accounting and financial advisory services covering complex accounting issues, financial reporting matters, and ongoing advisory support for corporate clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 financial due diligence cases completed since establishment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 一般財団法人日本デューデリジェンス協会 (Japan Due Diligence Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2015Founded in December 2015 as a general incorporated foundation. The association focuses on promoting standardization, education, and awareness of due diligence practices in Japan. Representative partner Kume serves as a founding member, contributing to industry development and best practice establishment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Nihon M&A Center: Japan's largest SME M&A intermediary with growing in-house DD capabilities; increasingly overlaps with boutique DD firms as it scales its deal execution teams.
• M&A Consulting (Recruit subsidiary): Mid-market M&A intermediary affiliated with Recruit, competing in the same SME M&A space where Aoyama Trust provides DD services.
• M&A Capital Partners: Listed Japanese M&A advisory firm focused on mid-market and SME deals, providing deal sourcing and execution services that increasingly include due diligence-adjacent capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Tohmatsu (M&A Advisory): Big 4 firm offering full M&A advisory including financial DD, valuation, and PMI at larger deal sizes; competes with Aoyama Trust on mid-to-large listed company mandates.
• KPMG AZSA (Japan Deals): Big 4 firm offering M&A advisory, financial DD, and corporate recovery services in Japan, competing for similar client mandates as Aoyama Trust.
• Houlihan Lokey (Japan): Global independent advisory firm with strong Japan presence in M&A, financial restructuring, and valuation, competing for mid- and large-cap financial DD mandates.
• EY Strategy and Consulting (Japan): Big 4 advisory with M&A transaction support and DD capabilities in Japan; particularly relevant given multiple Aoyama Trust partners are EY Shinnihon alumni.
• PwC Japan (Deals Practice): Global Big 4 advisory providing M&A DD, valuation, and restructuring services in Japan across enterprise-size transactions, with overlapping service portfolio.

Direct peers

• Fiducia (Japan Financial Due Diligence): Fiducia is a Japanese boutique advisory firm specializing in financial due diligence for M&A and business succession, offering directly comparable services to Aoyama Trust across SME and mid-market deals.
• Stand Back (M&A DD specialist): Stand Back is a Japan-based boutique firm providing financial due diligence and M&A advisory services, with similar mid-market focus and SME succession orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeaotru.jp/wp-content/themes/aotru/images/aotru_youtube.jpg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Aoyama Trust