KER

What KER does

KER (Kyushu Economic Research Institute / 九州経済研究所) is a private economic research and consulting firm headquartered in Kagoshima, Japan, operating across the Kyushu region through five offices (Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Okinawa, Kumamoto, Fukuoka). Founded in 1990 as a spin-off from Kagoshima Bank's research department, the firm is majority-owned by Kagoshima Bank with Higo Bank as a minority shareholder. KER serves two principal customer segments: local governments in Kyushu seeking economic research, regional revitalization planning, administrative management consulting, and PPP/PFI support; and regional SMEs requiring management consulting, business succession advisory, human resources systems, IT consulting, and employee training. The company operates a diversified service portfolio organized across four revenue streams: economic research publications (monthly KER経済情報 magazine, annual KER経済年鑑, KERデータブック data book); professional consulting services spanning management strategy, HR systems, business succession, IT, agribusiness, and customer satisfaction surveys; commissioned research for local governments and regional organizations; and a seminar/training program business (new employee seminars, business skill development, management training courses, next-generation leader development). A KER membership service provides subscribers with access to all publications and discounted seminar pricing, and the firm maintains instructor dispatch services for corporate training.

The business model combines subscription-style recurring revenue (membership publications), project-based professional services fees (consulting and commissioned research), and pay-per-attendee seminar fees (typically ¥11,000–¥55,000 per participant for members, with general pricing at ¥16,500–¥55,000). KER markets through its own seminar website, monthly economic publications, direct engagement with municipalities and enterprises, and most critically through the Kagoshima Bank branch network, which serves as the primary referral channel and provides physical office space for all four regional offices. The company holds no patents, has no proprietary technology platform, and does not employ software/AI as a core operational layer; its core intellectual property is the long-running regional economic dataset accumulated since 1990 and the institutional relationships with Kyushu local governments. Pricing for seminars is publicly disclosed, while consulting and commissioned research fees are negotiated per engagement.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Registered capital is ¥20 million and headcount is 36 as of April 2026. The customer base includes long-term municipal consulting agreements (five named cities with contracts dating to 2012-2014), SME clients across Kyushu, and member subscribers. Geographic concentration is significant: the firm operates exclusively within Kyushu with no global footprint. The company has experienced no mergers, acquisitions, or external funding rounds; growth has been organic and tied to the parent banking group's customer network.

Name

KER

Legal name

株式会社 九州経済研究所

Website

https://ker.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KER (Kyushu Economic Research Institute) is a private economic research and consulting firm serving Kyushu local governments and regional SMEs. A subsidiary of Kagoshima Bank, it generates revenue through economic publications, management consulting, commissioned research, and training seminars across five regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Research & Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

Keywords

• Economic research services
• Business consulting services
• Management training seminars
• Regional economic analysis
• Commissioned research studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Kagoshima-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Research Publications: Monthly economic information magazine (KER経済情報), annual economic yearbook (KER経済年鑑), and various economic research reports distributed to member subscribers
2. Consulting Services: Management consulting including administrative management, business succession, human resources systems, IT consulting, agritech support, customer satisfaction surveys, and reception/etiquette training
3. Seminar Programs: Business seminars, new employee training, management development programs, and special seminars with member and non-member pricing tiers
4. Commissioned Research: Research contracted by local governments and regional organizations covering regional revitalization, public-private partnerships, economic analysis, transportation/logistics, and environmental initiatives

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KER provides economic research publications, management consulting, and professional training seminars primarily to local governments and regional enterprises in the Kyushu region of Japan. Its portfolio includes monthly economic magazines (KER経済情報), annual yearbooks, recurring business condition surveys, and commissioned research studies. Consulting services cover management strategy, HR systems, business succession, IT, agri-business, and customer satisfaction. Training programs range from new employee seminars to executive leadership development courses.

Product overview

KER (九州経済研究所) is an economic research and consulting organization that operates as a unified service portfolio centered on economic research and business consulting. The core offerings include the KER経済情報 monthly magazine and KER経済年鑑 annual publication, supplemented by regular research reports on Kagoshima economic conditions, business surveys, Shinkansen impact studies, and economic outlooks. Consulting services span management strategy, human resources systems, IT consulting, business succession, customer satisfaction surveys, and agri-business support. The company also provides commissioned research services for local governments covering regional revitalization, public facility management (PPP/PFI), and 6th industry initiatives. Training programs include new employee seminars, business skill seminars, management training programs (経営者養成スクール, 経営幹部強化塾), leadership development (次世代リーダー鍛錬塾), and special topic seminars. A membership service provides ongoing access to publications and member-only resources. The organization is affiliated with Kagoshima Bank and maintains offices in Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Miyazaki, and Okinawa in addition to its Kagoshima headquarters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KER Economic Information (KER経済情報)

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-term administrative consulting partnerships with 5 municipalities (日置市, 垂水市, 南さつま市, 薩摩川内市, 鹿屋市)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 鹿児島リース株式会社 (Kagoshima Lease Co., Ltd.)minorOthersRelated company within the Kagoshima Bank financial group. Listed in KER's link directory.
• 鹿児島カード株式会社 (Kagoshima Card Co., Ltd.)minorOthersRelated company within the Kagoshima Bank financial group. Listed in KER's link directory.
• パステムソリューションズ株式会社 (Pastem Solutions Co., Ltd.)minorOthersTechnology partner listed in footer of KER website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NLI Research Institute: NLI Research Institute is a Nippon Life-affiliated economic think tank producing economic outlooks, surveys, and policy research — directly comparable to KER's economic research, publications, and policy advisory services.
• Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd. Daiwa Institute of Research is a major Japanese economic research and consulting firm affiliated with Daiwa Securities Group, offering economic publications, commissioned research, and consulting — closely mirroring KER's banking-group-affiliated economic research + consulting business model.
• Japan Research Institute, Limited: Japan Research Institute is a Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group subsidiary providing economic research, management consulting, and IT solutions — the closest banking-group-affiliated comparable to KER in both research publishing and management consulting.

Others

• Sompo Institute Plus Inc. Sompo Institute Plus is the Sompo Holdings research and consulting arm providing economic research, policy analysis, and risk advisory — thematically adjacent as a financial-group-affiliated research institute, though focused more on insurance/risk domains than KER's regional development focus.

Broad incumbents

• Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. Mitsubishi Research Institute is a large Mitsubishi UFJ-affiliated research and consulting firm offering economic research, policy advisory, and IT consulting — significantly larger than KER but operating the same banking-group + research + consulting model.
• Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. Nomura Research Institute is a large Japanese consulting and IT services firm originating from Nomura Group, offering management consulting alongside economic and industry research — comparable in service breadth though more IT-centric than KER.
• Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd. Mizuho Research & Technologies is the Mizuho Financial Group subsidiary for economic research, consulting, and IT services — a broad incumbent operating the same banking-affiliated economic research and consulting framework as KER but at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 KER