Aoyama Partners

What Aoyama Partners does

Aoyama Partners (税理士法人青山パートナーズ) is a Tokyo-based, privately-held accounting, tax, and growth-advisory group headquartered in Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku. Founded in 1998-1999 by ex-Arthur Andersen CPAs Hase Masaki (馳雅樹) and Sakamaki Yasunori (坂巻靖哲), the firm operates through five coordinated entities spanning tax advisory (ZAP), management consulting (APC), CPA joint practice (APCPA), social insurance labor consulting (APHR), and HR services (APHS), with a combined 17 professionals (5 CPAs, 6 tax accountants, 3 social insurance labor consultants, 2 real estate transaction specialists, and 2 system administrators). Its core service is integrated 'startup-to-IPO' growth support — bookkeeping, tax filing, monthly advisory visits, business planning, financing support, IPO preparation, due diligence, valuation, and succession/inheritance planning — delivered via bespoke pricing tied to engagement scope, with a free 60-minute initial consultation.

The firm's primary customer segments are growth-oriented startups and venture-stage companies (primary), TSE-listed companies and their group subsidiaries (notably contributing ~22% of fees as of 2016), entertainment/sports professionals with specialized tax needs, and business owners facing succession or inheritance events. Across more than 19 years of operation it has served over 600 corporate and 350 individual clients, supported 80+ business plan (PDCA) engagements and 5 client IPOs on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (including one First Section listing). Marketing is driven by content (educational articles, SEO), social (Facebook, Instagram), proprietary seminars (the 'Shogun-no-Hi' monthly 5-year business planning workshop, and a 2026-vintage AI研究会 series at ¥25,000/session co-organized with Prism Gate and Cross Operation Group), job fair recruiting, and a referral network that the firm describes as the dominant acquisition channel. Technology stack centers on cloud accounting systems and OBC's 勘定奉行 suite (the firm holds OBC Certified Instructor Provider status), with Chatwork and Zoom adopted during COVID-19 for remote client meetings; there is no public API or app product.

Name

Aoyama Partners

Legal name

税理士法人青山パートナーズ

Website

https://aoyamapartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aoyama Partners is a Tokyo-based, multi-entity accounting and tax advisory group that provides bespoke startup-to-IPO growth support, including bookkeeping, tax filing, IPO preparation, and business planning, serving 600+ corporate and 350+ individual clients across venture, listed-company, entertainment, and succession segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax & Accounting Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112)

akta.pro primary industry

Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) & Intangible Asset Valuation (FSAEAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tax Operations Support (Indirect Tax, Withholding, Compliance Admin) (BPAAAGAI), Family Office Administration & Operations (Accounting, Reporting, Payroll) (FSAAADAD)

Keywords

• Tax advisory services
• Growth-stage consulting
• IPO advisory services
• Business succession planning
• Corporate accounting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tax Advisory & Filing Services (顧問・申告業務): Ongoing advisory and tax filing services for corporate and individual clients. Fees are customized based on client size, complexity, risk, and scope of services. The firm avoids standardized pricing, instead estimating required engagement hours and using volume-based pricing for physical factors like number of business locations.
2. Consulting Services (コンサルティング業務): Growth support consulting including business planning, IPO support, corporate restructuring, M&A advisory, business succession, and risk management. Provided as both embedded advisory within retainer contracts and as standalone billable engagements. Revenue recognized as professional services fees.
3. Outsourcing / Bookkeeping Services (記帳代行・アウトソーシング): Monthly bookkeeping and accounting data entry services for clients, particularly those in early-stage growth. These services serve as an entry point (consulting 'gateway') for acquiring new clients and are priced as part of the overall service package.
4. Seminars and AI研究会 Fees: Revenue from paid seminar events, including the AI研究会 series (¥25,000 per session, including dinner networking). Also includes business planning seminar (将軍の日) participation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Aoyama Partners is a Tokyo-based tax accounting and consulting group delivering integrated advisory, tax filing, bookkeeping outsourcing, and business consulting services for growth-oriented companies from startup through IPO. Service lines span corporate tax advisory, cloud accounting implementation (OBC 勘定奉行 certified), corporate restructuring/M&A, group tax consolidation, IPO/stock listing support, due diligence, business valuation, business succession, inheritance tax, financing/bank negotiation, HR/social insurance, and specialized entertainment-industry tax. The firm delivers via partner-led teams under a multi-entity group structure (税理士法人青山パートナーズ, 株式会社青山パートナーズコンサルティング, 青山パートナーズ公認会計士共同事務所, APHR, APHS).

Product overview

Aoyama Partners is a growth-focused accounting and tax advisory group based in Tokyo's Minami-Aoyama district. It operates as a multi-entity organization (税理士法人青山パートナーズ, 株式会社青山パートナーズコンサルティング, 青山パートナーズ公認会計士共同事務所, 社会保険労務士法人青山パートナーズHRS, and 青山パートナーズヒューマンサービス) providing integrated professional services. Its core offering centers on 顧問サービス (Advisory Services) — accounting, tax, and business management advisory tailored to each client's growth stage — supplemented by specialized consulting modules including 企業・事業再編コンサルティング (Corporate Reorganization), グループ通算制度コンサルティング (Group Tax Consolidation), 青山相続相談センター (Inheritance Services), 事業了承コンサルティング (Business Succession), エンタテイメントTAX (Entertainment Industry Tax), クラウド会計導入支援 (Cloud Accounting), 融資・銀行取引サポート/ゆうし君 (Financing Support), and 事業計画策定支援/将軍の日 (Business Planning Workshops). The group also delivers 株式公開・上場支援 (IPO Support), デューデリジェンス (Due Diligence), and 株価算定 (Business Valuation) services through its certified public accountant joint practice, and HR/social insurance services through its labor and social insurance specialist entity. An AI研究会 (AI Study Group) seminar series covers AI topics for client education. The group does not operate a public or partner-facing API. Growth support from startup through IPO is the firm's primary market positioning, backed by 80+ business planning engagements and 5 successful IPOs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Services (顧問サービス) Core accounting, tax, and business management advisory tailored to each client's growth stage and specific needs, delivered by a dedicated partner-manager-senior-staff engagement team. Forms the central retainer relationship covering monthly bookkeeping oversight, tax filing, and ongoing consulting.
• Corporate / Business Reorganization Consulting (企業・事業再編コンサルティング) Advisory for corporate and business restructuring including mergers, splits, share exchanges, and share transfer arrangements, with accompanying tax simulation support for clients considering reorganizations.
• Group Tax Consolidation Consulting (グループ通算制度コンサルティング) Consulting support for group tax consolidation systems, enabling medium and small enterprise groups to utilize consolidated tax filing arrangements and related optimization.
• Aoyama Inheritance Consultation Center (青山相続相談センター) Inheritance tax filing and inheritance/succession planning advisory, helping clients navigate inheritance and business succession challenges through dedicated specialists.
• Business Succession Consulting (事業承継コンサルティング) Consulting for business succession planning, including business reorganization and restructuring to facilitate generational transfer of enterprises, with stock valuation support.
• Entertainment Industry TAX (エンタテイメントTAX) Tax advisory and filing services specifically designed for athletes and entertainment industry professionals, including talent representatives, performers, and sports figures with irregular, multi-source income.
• Cloud Accounting Implementation Support (クラウド会計導入支援) Hands-on support for implementing cloud-based accounting systems, including OBC 勘定奉行J/i8/V/JDL, guiding clients through selection, setup, training, and adoption.
• Financing & Banking Transaction Support (融資・銀行取引サポート / ゆうし君) Comprehensive financing support for client fundraising, including bank negotiation, loan applications, VC introductions, and ongoing banking relationship management.
• Business Planning Support / Shogun-no-Hi (事業計画策定支援 / 将軍の日 / 軍議の日) Mid-term 5-year and single-year business planning workshops where clients work one-on-one with dedicated staff to develop comprehensive growth plans (PDCA cycle management). The flagship Shogun-no-Hi workshop is held almost monthly and is open to non-clients.
• IPO / Stock Listing Support (株式公開・上場支援)

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 clients successfully listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange during Aoyama Partners' engagement (including one TSE First Section listing)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and key.

• Law firms and judicial scriveners (協力律师事务所・司法書士事務所)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner青山パートナ障ーズ has established a cooperative network of external legal experts including law firms and judicial scriveners (scrivener offices) to provide comprehensive client services. For legal matters outside the firm's scope (法務サービス), clients are referred to or co-served with these network partners. This is explicitly part of the group's integrated support philosophy.
• OBC (オービックビジネスコンサルタント株式会社)coreTechnology or IntegrationAoyama Partners is a certified agent and instructor provider (OCIP: 公認インストラクショ provider) for OBC's勘定奉行 accounting software, one of Japan's leading mid-market accounting ERP systems. The firm has a dedicated team with OBC Certified Instructor (OCI) qualifications and provides implementation support, training, and consultation for clients adopting OBC products. This is described as a key differentiator for client IT support services.
• Prism Gate Co., Ltd. (プリズムゲート株式会社)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the AI研究会 seminar series. Prism Gate (represented by 芝田弘美, Web consultant) provides expertise on AI search optimization and web marketing trends for the joint seminar program. The partnership brings in external AI/web expertise to complement Aoyama Partners' business advisory audience.
• Cross Operation Group Co., Ltd. (株式会社クロス・オペレーショングループ)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of AI研究会 Session 4, represented by CEO 田中亮大, author of 'あなただけのAI社員' (2026). The firm specializes in organizational AI deployment and custom AI solution development, contributing specialized AI knowledge to the joint seminar series.
• Banks and financial institutions (銀行・金融機関)supportingOthersAoyama Partners maintains working relationships with banks and financial institutions to support client financing needs, including bank account setup facilitation, loan negotiation support, and VC/funding introductions. These are operational partnerships supporting the firm's growth financing advisory service rather than formal alliance agreements.
• Insurance companies (損害保険会社・ 생명보험)supportingOthersThe firm provides insurance advisory as part of its risk management consulting services, recommending appropriate insurance products (経営者保険,，养老保险, etc.) to clients. This is described as an integrated advisory service rather than a formal partnership arrangement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• freee K.K. Leading Japanese cloud accounting and HR/payroll SaaS provider serving SMEs and startups. Represents both a partner (Aoyama Partners implements freee for clients) and a substitute for the bookkeeping/outsourcing entry services Aoyama Partners relies on for client acquisition.
• Money Forward, Inc. Major Japanese cloud accounting, expense, and HR SaaS platform serving SMEs and individuals. Comparable to Aoyama Partners for the SMB accounting needs they serve, and a potential substitute for entry-level tax filing and bookkeeping services.
• FUNDBOOK Inc. Japanese business valuation and M&A platform providing tech-enabled valuation services for SMEs. Directly comparable to Aoyama Partners' business valuation and 株価算定 services, though operating primarily through a tech platform model.

Direct peers

• 税理士法人TOTAL (Total Tax Corporation): Mid-size Japanese tax accountant corporation focused on serving growth-stage companies with integrated tax, accounting, and consulting services. Comparable in scale, target client (entrepreneurial growth companies), and integrated 'startup-to-IPO' value proposition.
• 辻・本郷税理士法人 (Tsuji & Hongō Tax Corporation): One of Japan's largest and most established tax accountant corporations, headquartered in Tokyo, serving mid-market and large enterprises with tax, accounting, and advisory services. Closely comparable to Aoyama Partners in target customer (growth-oriented Japanese corporates) and service mix (tax advisory, consulting, succession).
• 日本M&Aセンター (Nihon M&A Center Inc.): Largest M&A intermediary in Japan, specializing in SME business succession transactions. Directly comparable for the M&A advisory and business succession services Aoyama Partners provides to its growth and transitioning clients.

Broad incumbents

• PwC Japan LLC: PwC's Japan member firm, one of the Big 4, providing audit, tax, legal, and consulting services. Comparable to Aoyama Partners in serving growth-stage Japanese companies seeking IPO support and tax advisory, though with vastly larger resources and broader service portfolio.
• Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC: EY's Japan member firm, providing audit, tax, transaction advisory, and consulting. Comparable to Aoyama Partners for clients requiring Big 4-grade IPO advisory and tax services, though at significantly larger scale.
• KPMG AZSA LLC: Japan member firm of KPMG, one of the Big 4, offering audit, tax, and advisory across all major industries. Represents the larger incumbent competition Aoyama Partners faces when serving TSE-listed and pre-IPO clients requiring auditor-grade expertise.

Others

• ベイカレント・コンサルティング (BayCurrent Inc.): Top-tier Japanese strategy and management consulting firm serving large corporates. Comparable to Aoyama Partners in serving growth-oriented Japanese enterprises, though operating at much larger scale and focused on strategy/management rather than tax/accounting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/237996296224300
• Instagraminstagram.com/zap1003
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aoyama-partners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Aoyama Partners