What IR Japan does

IR Japan, Inc. (株式会社アイ・アール ジャパン) is a Tokyo-based equity consulting firm founded in December 1984 as Japan's first dedicated IR (Investor Relations) specialist company, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly listed IR Japan Holdings, Ltd. (TSE Prime Market, ticker 6035). The company provides integrated Proxy Advisory (PA) and Financial Advisory (FA) services built around its trademarked "Power of Equity" methodology, serving publicly listed companies in Japan with services spanning SR (Shareholder Relations) consulting, hostile takeover defense, activist response, M&A advisory, MBO execution support, corporate governance consulting, board evaluation, independent director placement, securities transfer agency, IR/disclosure consulting, integrated report production, and TOKYO PRO Market listing support through its J-Adviser qualification.

The company's technology stack combines proprietary AI systems with human research teams operating from Tokyo (Kasumigaseki headquarters and Marunouchi investment banking office) and New York (opened 2004, first Japanese IR firm to establish US presence). Core platforms include IR-Pro (institutional investor ownership database covering approximately 900 domestic and 7,000 overseas funds), Stock Watch (large-volume holding report search), Analyst Network (portal connecting approximately 6,000 buy-side/sell-side analysts with listed companies), Proxy Watch (proxy voting database), Engagement Platform (IR/SR information distribution), and the Activist Analytics AI product. The firm maintains proprietary databases of approximately 6,000 global voting rights contacts and approximately 10,000 activist investment records continuously updated since 1997.

IR Japan's revenue model is diversified across multiple professional services streams: project-based SR consulting (~1,000 projects annually), annual subscription-based securities transfer agency (73 client companies managing 396,206 shareholders as of June 2021, with fixed pricing tied to shareholder count and dividend frequency), M&A and MBO advisory on transaction-fee basis, and recurring corporate governance and disclosure consulting (over 50 integrated report and 100 shareholder communication projects annually). The go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales targeting IR/SR departments and management teams of Japanese listed companies, augmented by regular professional seminars on governance, activist defense, and M&A trends. Pricing for consulting services is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

IR Japan

Legal name

株式会社アイ・アール ジャパン

Website

https://irjapan.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IR Japan is a Tokyo-based equity consulting firm serving Japanese publicly listed companies with proxy advisory, hostile takeover defense, M&A advisory, securities transfer agency, and corporate governance services. Founded in 1984, it operates the proprietary "Power of Equity" methodology with offices in Tokyo and New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Consulting and Shareholder Relations Advisory

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Proxy Voting & Shareholder Meetings (AGM/EGM) (FSACAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Proxy Voting & Governance Services (FSAAAOAJ), Investor Relations (IR) & Capital Markets Communications (MPAAADAH)

Keywords

• Equity consulting services
• Proxy advisory services
• Shareholder relations consulting
• M&A financial advisory
• Corporate governance consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SR Consulting Services: Shareholder relations consulting including beneficial shareholder identification surveys, voting rights analysis, and shareholder meeting support
2. PA/FA Investment Banking Services: Proxy advisory and financial advisory services for hostile takeovers, activist defense, M&A, MBO, and capital policy simulation
3. Securities Transfer Agency Services: Stock transfer agency business with fixed-fee pricing based on shareholder count and dividend frequency
4. Governance Consulting Services: Corporate governance consulting including board evaluation, outside director introduction services, ESG disclosure support
5. Disclosure Consulting Services: Annual reports, shareholder communications, IR website development, integrated reports, ESG disclosure support
6. J-Adviser Services: TOKYO PRO Market listing advisory services for unlisted companies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IR Japan provides equity consulting services to publicly listed companies, centered on shareholder voting rights ("Power of Equity"). Offerings combine proxy advisory (PA) and financial advisory (FA) services for hostile takeover defense, proxy contests, and M&A, together with shareholder relations consulting, securities transfer agency, governance consulting, IR/disclosure consulting, and proprietary web platforms (IR-Pro, Stock Watch, Activist Analytics) that deliver shareholder identification, voting rights analysis, and AI-powered activist risk analytics.

Product overview

IR Japan operates as a unified platform-plus-modules architecture offering equity consulting services centered on Power of Equity (shareholder voting rights). The core product suite includes IR-Pro (comprehensive IR activity support system), Stock Watch (large shareholder report search), Analyst Network (briefing information portal), Proxy Watch (proxy voting database), Engagement Platform (investor communication), DSMS (shareholder management), and Activist Analytics (AI-powered activist risk analysis). Additional modules span shareholder meeting support, capital policy simulation, MBO advisory, board evaluation, independent director search, ESG disclosure, securities transfer agency, IPO support, and TOKYO PRO Market listing services. The company also provides core consulting services including SR consulting, IR consulting, governance consulting, and PA/FA advisory for M&A and takeover defense. The company integrates its Tokyo and New York research teams with proprietary AI systems and a global database of approximately 6,000 voting rights contacts and 10,000 activist investment records.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IR-Pro: 機関投資家の株式保有状況をデータベース化したWebシステム
• Stock Watch
• Analyst Network
• Proxy Watch
• Engagement Platform

Products and services

• IR-Pro Web System Web-based comprehensive IR activity support system providing institutional investor stock ownership database with fund-by-fund holdings and tracking, institutional investor profile search, peer comparison analytics, and investor meeting history management for listed companies.
• Stock Watch Large shareholder report search system that collects and databases publicly available information on substantial shareholders, enabling companies to identify actual shareholders including hostile acquirers.
• Analyst Network Portal site for analyst briefing information connecting listed companies with approximately 6,000 potential investors (buy-side and sell-side analysts), enabling briefing event management and attendee tracking.
• Proxy Watch Web-based search service database for proxy voting information (US SEC), enabling analysis of how major overseas institutional investors voted on specific shareholder meeting agenda items including takeover defenses and compensation proposals.
• Engagement Platform Proactive IR/SR information distribution platform enabling closed-site posting of meeting notices and materials for institutional investor voting officers, with email delivery capabilities.
• Activist Analytics AI-powered quantitative analysis service that identifies characteristics of companies targeted by activists using 10 years of activist holdings and activity data combined with corporate governance metrics.
• IR Briefing Information Distribution Service Free email/web distribution service providing IR briefing information to institutional investors, accessible to verified investment institution personnel.
• Shareholder Club (株主倶楽部) Membership organization service promoting long-term retention of individual shareholders; registered trademark of IR Japan.
• Proxy Advisory / Financial Advisory (PA/FA) Proxy advisory (PA) and financial advisory (FA) services for hostile takeover defense, activist response, proxy contests, unsolicited tender offers (TOBs), and control transactions, combining voting rights strategy with M&A execution support.
• Shareholder Relations (SR) Consulting Shareholder relations consulting including beneficial shareholder identification surveys, shareholder meeting support, and engagement strategy development. Beneficial shareholder identification with average deviation of only 1.3 percentage points between predicted and actual institutional investor voting rates.
• Investor Relations (IR) Consulting Investor relations consulting covering information disclosure advisory, corporate story development, and IR activity goal setting.
• Governance Consulting Corporate governance consulting aligned with Corporate Governance Code requirements, extracting governance issues from institutional investor perspective, including board evaluation and outside director introduction services (ID-Search).
• M&A Advisory M&A advisory services covering integration, mergers, subsidiary acquisitions/divestitures, asset/stock acquisitions, and divestitures, from target selection through closing, leveraging capital market experience and listed company relationships.
• MBO Support Advisory service for Management Buyouts (MBO) including overall process management, special committee response, due diligence coordination, stock valuation, and negotiation with target companies and sponsors.
• Securities Transfer Agency Services Stock transfer agent services with fixed-fee pricing based on shareholder count and dividend frequency, offering approximately 73 client companies managing 396,206 shareholders (as of June 2021), with various corporate actions (stock splits, third-party allocations, etc.) handled free of charge.
• TOKYO PRO Market Listing Support (J-Adviser) J-Adviser service for listing support on Tokyo Stock Exchange's TOKYO PRO Market (professional investor market) with relaxed listing requirements, plus financing options and pre/post-listing IR support.
• Disclosure Consulting Services Disclosure consulting including shareholder communications, business reports, integrated reports, ESG disclosure support, and IR website development/improvement services, with over 100 annual shareholder communication projects and over 50 integrated report projects annually.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SMBC Trust BankminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2021Business partnership for securities transfer agency services, combining IR Japan's shareholder relations expertise with SMBC Trust Bank's banking infrastructure for enhanced shareholder services.
• Japan Securities Depository Center (JASDEC)coreTechnology or IntegrationDesignated shareholder registry administrator for securities settlement and transfer operations, working with the central securities depository system.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glass Lewis: Glass Lewis is the second-largest global proxy advisor, offering research and recommendations on shareholder meeting agenda items. Its Proxy Paper research and Viewpoint platform overlap with IR Japan's Proxy Watch and Activist Analytics offerings, and the two firms compete for the same proxy-contest and governance mandates.
• Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS): ISS is the world's largest independent proxy advisory firm, providing voting policy research, governance ratings, and proxy voting recommendations to institutional investors. It is directly comparable to IR Japan as a global proxy advisor competing for the same institutional-investor and issuer clients across contested meetings.
• Morrow Sodali: Morrow Sodali is a global shareholder engagement and corporate advisory firm specializing in proxy solicitation, M&A advisory, and shareholder activism defense. Its service mix closely mirrors IR Japan's PA + FA + SR + governance consulting offerings, making it a direct peer across multiple product lines.
• Georgeson: Georgeson is a leading global proxy solicitation and corporate governance services firm, providing shareholder identification, vote solicitation, and strategic governance advice. Its core offerings overlap directly with IR Japan's Stock Watch, SR consulting, and proxy advisory products.

Broad incumbents

• Broadridge Financial Solutions: Broadridge provides investor communications and proxy processing technology, including distribution and tabulation solutions used by issuers and intermediaries worldwide. While not advisory like IR Japan, it operates in adjacent securities-services infrastructure and competes for the same transfer-agency and shareholder-communications spend.
• Nomura Holdings: Nomura is Japan's largest investment bank, with M&A advisory, equity capital markets, and securities transfer agency businesses. Its IB and TA divisions compete with IR Japan's PA/FA advisory and securities transfer agency offerings for large-cap Japanese listed-company mandates.
• Daiwa Securities Group: Daiwa Securities is one of Japan's largest broker-dealer groups offering investment banking, M&A advisory, and securities services. Its FA/M&A advisory business competes with IR Japan's PA/FA mandates for Japanese listed-company transactions, particularly in MBO, M&A, and parent-subsidiary integration cases.
• SMBC Nikko Securities: SMBC Nikko is a leading Japanese brokerage and investment bank with M&A advisory and securities services. It is also the SMBC group partner for IR Japan's securities transfer agency business, while simultaneously competing for advisory mandates that IR Japan's PA/FA division targets.
• Mizuho Securities: Mizuho Securities is a major Japanese broker-dealer offering M&A advisory, ECM, and securities services. Its M&A and equity advisory groups overlap with IR Japan's PA/FA business for Japanese public-company transactions and contested corporate actions.

Regional players

• Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings: Tokai Tokyo is a Japanese regional broker-dealer offering investment banking, equity research, and securities services primarily to Japanese mid-cap issuers. While not a direct PA/FA competitor to IR Japan's flagship proxy advisory, its IB and equity-advisory services overlap on regional Japanese mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ir-japan

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about IR Japan