IRM

What IRM does

IRM (アイアールエム合同会社) is a Tokyo-headquartered B2B market research and consulting firm specializing in overseas market intelligence for Japanese enterprises, government ministries, and industry associations. The current LLC was established on February 1, 2017 by core research staff from the predecessor アイ・アール・エム株式会社 (founded 1962 as Japan's first international research organization; dissolved April 30, 2017), inheriting 56+ years of operational heritage and long-standing exclusive Japan agency relationships with major international research and information providers including Frost & Sullivan (since 1972), Moody's Investors Service (since 1970), Dun & Bradstreet (since 1966), Gartner Group (since 1986), CISI S.A. (since 1984), DAFSA (since 1972), and DHBrown/CPDA (since 1997).

The company's core products include custom market research, overseas market research and information services, overseas technology and R&D trend analysis, overseas expansion consulting, industry/trade monitoring services, domestic market research, and an international online research platform providing access to approximately 1 million domestic and 5 million international panelists across approximately 200 countries with 37-language survey support and one-week delivery turnaround. IRM also resells third-party reports (Frost & Sullivan, The PRS Group, World Watcher) and serves as the Japanese representative for Mining Media International's mining publications (The ASIA Miner, Coal Age, Engineering & Mining Journal).

IRM operates as a sales-led, inquiry-based professional services firm with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue derives from custom research engagements, third-party report reselling, advertising placement via Mining Media representation, and ongoing monitoring subscriptions. The current entity is small-scale (registered capital of 300,000 yen, single Tokyo apartment office in Nakano-ku), with the historical NY (1964) and Paris (1969) subsidiaries and São Paulo (1973) office predating the 2017 corporate restructuring.

Name

IRM

Legal name

アイアールエム合同会社

Website

https://irm.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IRM (アイアールエム合同会社) is a Tokyo-based B2B market research and consulting firm providing overseas market intelligence, custom research, and international online survey services to Japanese enterprises, government ministries, and industry associations expanding internationally, with 56+ years of inherited heritage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Public Relations Agencies (54182), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Media Representatives (54184)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Investor Relations (IR) & Capital Markets Communications (MPAAADAH)

Keywords

• Market research services
• International market research
• Technology R&D trends
• Overseas expansion consulting
• Research report distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Market Research Services: Bespoke market research services tailored to client needs, including overseas market research, technology R&D trend analysis, and consulting for international expansion
2. Report Sales: Sale of pre-produced research reports from partner organizations including Frost & Sullivan, The PRS Group, and World Watcher monitoring reports
3. Media/Advertising Services: Japanese representative services for Mining Media International's mining industry publications (The Asia Miner, Coal Age, Engineering & Mining Journal), handling advertising placements for Japanese clients
4. Monitoring Services: Ongoing monitoring services for overseas industry trends and trade issues

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IRM provides custom and pre-produced market research, overseas market and technology/R&D trend research, international expansion consulting, and ongoing industry/trade monitoring for Japanese corporations, government ministries, and industry associations. It also acts as the exclusive Japan agent for several international research firms and serves as the Japanese representative for Mining Media International's mining industry publications.

Product overview

IRM is a market research company offering a portfolio of research services and media publications. The core service offerings include custom market research, overseas and domestic market research, technology/R&D trend research, overseas expansion consulting, and international online research panels covering approximately 200 countries. The company also resells third-party research reports from Frost & Sullivan, The PRS Group, and World Watcher. Additionally, IRM serves as the Japanese representative for Mining Media International's mining industry publications: The ASIA Miner, Coal Age, and Engineering & Mining Journal (EMJ). The portfolio combines proprietary research services with third-party content distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Market Research (カスタム市場調査) Flexible custom industrial, technology, and market research tailored to client needs.
• Overseas Market Research & Information Services (海外市場調査・情報サービス) International market research and information services for Japanese companies expanding abroad.
• Overseas Technology & R&D Trends Research (海外技術・研究開発動向調査・情報サービス) Research and information services tracking overseas technology and R&D trends.
• Overseas Expansion Research & Consulting Services (海外進出のための調査・コンサルティングサービス) Research and consulting services supporting market entry and business expansion overseas.
• Overseas Industry & Trade Monitoring Services (海外の産業・産業動向、通商問題のモニタリングサービス) Monitoring services for overseas industry trends and trade issues.
• Domestic Market Research (国内市場調査) Market research services focused on the Japanese domestic market.
• International Online Research (国際オンライン調査) High-quality online market research using reliable overseas and domestic consumer and B2B panels, covering approximately 200 countries with multilingual support and rapid data collection.
• Frost & Sullivan Reports (フロスト＆サリバン) Market research reports covering technology industries including advanced technology and industrial products from the U.S. and Europe.
• The PRS Group Reports Political and economic risk analysis reports.
• World Watcher Monitoring Report (モニタリング・リポート) Ongoing monitoring reports tracking global developments.
• The ASIA Miner Bilingual (English and Chinese) industry magazine covering mining projects and corporate activities in the Asia-Pacific region and India.
• Coal Age North America's leading coal mining industry magazine published monthly.
• Engineering & Mining Journal (EMJ) Technical business information publication for the global mining sector, distributed to 143 countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data collection and delivery within 1 week of survey initiation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mining Media InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2017Japanese representative (駐日代表) for Mining Media International's mining industry publications including The Asia Miner, Coal Age, and Engineering & Mining Journal. Handles advertising placement for Japanese clients seeking to reach international mining industry audiences.
• The PRS GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2017Reseller of pre-produced research reports from The PRS Group, offered as part of IRM's report sales catalog alongside Frost & Sullivan reports.
• DHBrown Associates (now CPDA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1997Exclusive Japan agent for DHBrown Associates (now CPDA), specializing in CAD/CAM, CAE, PDM, ERP, SCM, PLM evaluation and vendor strategy analysis in design and manufacturing solutions. Partnership established in 1997.
• Gartner GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1986Exclusive Japan agent (日本総代理店) for Gartner Group, the world's largest computer and information industry research, strategic information, and consulting company. Partnership established in 1986.
• CISI S.A. (France)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1984Exclusive Japan agent for CISI S.A., Europe's largest computer services organization (French state-owned enterprise), providing EC macroeconomic databases and related data services. Partnership established in 1984.
• Frost & Sullivan (フロスト＆サリバン)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1972Exclusive Japan agent (日本総代理店) for Frost & Sullivan, a leading US-based market research firm specializing in industrial products, advanced technologies, and engineering sectors. Partnership established in 1972 for sales of market research reports in Japan.
• DAFSA (France)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1972Exclusive Japan agent for DAFSA, a French company providing Western European economic, industrial, and corporate information services. Partnership established in 1972.
• Moody's Investors Service, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1970Exclusive Japan agent (日本総代理店) for corporate information and credit rating services. Partnership established in 1970 for sales of corporate information services in Japan.
• Dun & Bradstreet International, Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1966Exclusive Japan agent (日本総代理店) for international corporate investigation services. Partnership established in 1966 with formal joint business contract signed in 1975 for Japanese company investigation and credit rating operations.
• Euromoney Publications, Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1962Appointed as Japanese representative in 1981 for Euromoney Publications, a globally authoritative international financial market publisher. Started sales of Euromoney research reports and international finance magazine.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gartner: World's largest IT and information industry research and consulting firm. IRM is exclusive Japan agent for Gartner, and the relationship reflects overlapping coverage of IT/technology research and consulting.
• Ipsos: Global market research and consulting firm with strong presence in Japan offering custom research, syndicated studies, and online panels. Comparable to IRM in custom international research and panel methodology for Japanese and global clients.
• Nielsen Japan: Global market research firm with Japan operations providing consumer panel, retail measurement, and media research. Comparable to IRM in market research services for Japanese clients expanding internationally.
• Frost & Sullivan: Global research and consulting firm covering industrial products, advanced technologies, and engineering sectors. IRM holds exclusive Japan agency rights for Frost & Sullivan, making it both a partner and a direct competitive force in the same research categories.
• Kantar Japan: Japanese subsidiary of global research firm Kantar offering brand, consumer, and media research. Comparable to IRM in custom research and overseas market intelligence services for Japanese corporate clients.

Others

• Mizuho Research & Technologies: Japanese consulting and research firm offering industry, economic, and corporate research with global coverage. Adjacent comparable given overlap in economic/industry research and government/association client segments, though it operates as a larger bank-affiliated consultancy.

Direct peers

• Yano Research Institute: Japanese market research and consulting firm specializing in industry-specific custom research and syndicated reports. Directly comparable to IRM in custom Japanese-language market research and overseas market entry advisory.
• Intage: Leading Japanese market research and consulting firm offering custom research, panel-based consumer research, and marketing solutions. Comparable to IRM as a domestic Japanese research provider with both proprietary panels and custom project work.
• Macromill: Japanese-headquartered market research firm offering online panel-based consumer and B2B research, custom research, and global research capabilities. Most directly comparable to IRM given shared focus on online survey panels and international coverage for Japanese clients.

Emerging players

• Mintel Japan: Global market research provider specializing in consumer products and retail intelligence, with Japan coverage through syndicated reports. Comparable to IRM in overseas market intelligence and report distribution for Japanese clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 IRM