東京都中小企業診断士協会

What 東京都中小企業診断士協会 does

東京都中小企業診断士協会 is a Tokyo-based General Incorporated Association (一般社団法人) that serves as the Tokyo chapter of the Japan Federation of SME Management Consultant Associations (日診連). Established on April 2, 2012, the organization represents approximately 5,000 certified SME management consultants (中小企業診断士) operating across Tokyo, structured through six regional branches (中央, 城東, 城西, 城南, 城北, 三多摩) and roughly 170 specialized research groups (研究会). Its core products center on three revenue-generating programs: the Theory and Policy Continuing Education (理論政策更新研修, JPY 6,300 per session), the Practical Work Placement Program (実務従事事業, JPY 48,000 for members / JPY 66,000 for non-members as of April 2025), and the Successor Management Training e-learning course (経営後継者養成講座, JPY 150,000). Supporting offerings include the BPS Comprehensive Diagnosis (BPS総合診断事業), business consulting services, social contribution activities such as the annual multi-profession consultation fair, and community-building events including the Spring/Autumn Forums and the annual SME Consultant Senryu (comic poem) contest held on November 4th.

The association's business model is a member-funded professional body rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue derives primarily from per-session training and practical work placement fees, the sale of e-learning modules, and the public-facing BPS diagnostic service used by Tokyo's SMEs. The organization operates with a small staff of 7 full-time employees, relying on its 5,000 member-consultants to deliver consulting and training services. Marketing is conducted through the association website (t-smeca.com), the semi-annual Tokyo COMPASS PR magazine, the monthly TS News digital newsletter, the Shindanshi! web serial novel, and participation in events such as the Sanga Koryuten exhibition. Technology is standard off-the-shelf: Zoom for online events, kintone for member management and voting, Google Sheets/Drive for collaboration, iroha Board for the LMS, and YouTube for video content. There are no proprietary technology products and no AI/ML components.

The association's strategic positioning is anchored in the regulatory requirement that SME consultants complete Theory and Policy Continuing Education to maintain their credentials, creating a recurring demand engine for training services. It maintains a dense partnership network with Tokyo Credit Guarantee Association, Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Corporation, Japan Finance Corporation, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce, and the Tokyo Tax Accounting Association, positioning itself as a core node in Tokyo's SME support infrastructure. The association is a member-driven, non-profit governance structure with no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no parent company.

Name

東京都中小企業診断士協会

Legal name

一般社团法人東京都中小企業診断士協会

Website

https://t-smeca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Tokyo chapter of Japan's national SME management consultant federation, serving approximately 5,000 certified consultants across six Tokyo branches through credential renewal training, practical consulting placement programs, research groups, and SME support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Relationship Management & Advisory (Credit, Growth, Succession) (FSABABAJ)

Keywords

• SME management consulting
• Business diagnostic services
• Professional credential training
• Business succession consulting
• Management consulting association

Headquarters

HQ city

Chuo City, Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and certification fees: The association charges participation fees for theoretical policy renewal training sessions and practical work projects. Fees are set per participant and vary by membership status.
2. Practical work project participation fees: Members and non-members pay participation fees for practical work projects. As of April 2025, fees are JPY 48,000 for Tokyo Association members and JPY 66,000 for non-members, reflecting a price increase from the previous JPY 36,000 and JPY 54,000 respectively.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

東京都中小企業診断士協会 is a General Incorporated Association that provides SME management consulting services, professional credential renewal training, and practical work placement programs to approximately 5,000 SME management consultant members in Tokyo. Its core offerings are the BPS Comprehensive Diagnosis (systematic business health-check style diagnosis for SMEs), the Practical Work Placement Program (supervised 6-day consulting training for credential renewal), and the Theory and Policy Continuing Education (mandatory refresher training required by METI). The association operates 6 regional branches and 170+ research groups across Tokyo.

Product overview

The association operates as a membership organization for ~5,000 SME management consultants in Tokyo, offering a portfolio of core diagnostic and consulting services, training programs, and community engagement activities. Core offerings include the BPS Comprehensive Diagnosis (BPS総合診断事業), a practical work placement program (実務従事事業) for supervised consulting experience, and the Theory and Policy Continuing Education (理論政策更新研修) required for credential renewal. Supporting programs include the Tokyo Procon Juku training program, 72 certified research groups, the semi-annual Tokyo COMPASS PR magazine and monthly TS News Digital newsletter, the annual SME Consultant Senryu poetry contest, the monthly web serial novel Shindanshi!, the semi-annual Spring/Autumn Forum for new members, the annual First-Year Consultant Meeting, and the multi-profession consultation fair. The association also developed a dedicated e-learning product, the Successor Management Training (経営後継者養成講座), for business succession education. The organization is structured across 6 branches (中央, 城東, 城西, 城南, 城北, 三多摩).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual practical work projects matching members with SME clients under instructor supervision, providing both consulting experience and credential renewal points.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tokyo Tax Accounting Association (東京税理士会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2021On April 2, 2021, the association signed a partnership agreement with the Tokyo Tax Accounting Association for SME support cooperation. The agreement aims to leverage the expertise of both organizations to provide comprehensive support to small and medium enterprises in Tokyo.
• Japan Federation of SME Consultant Associations ((一社)日本中小企業診断士協会連合会 / 日診連)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national federation connecting all 47 prefectural SME consultant associations. Tokyo Association is the largest member. The federation manages credential renewal, member My Page system, and coordinates national activities.
• Tokyo Credit Guarantee Association (東京信用保証協会)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a support institution partner. The association participates in the Tokyo Business Succession Support Fair organized by this association, providing consultation booth and BPS diagnosis promotion.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Corporation (東京都中小企業振興公社)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey support institution partner providing expert dispatch services and startup support. Featured in Tokyo COMPASS PR magazine as a key partner.
• Small and Medium Enterprise Agency / Regional SME Support Organization (中小企業基盤整備機構 関東本部)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a support institution partner. Featured in Tokyo COMPASS PR magazine as a featured organization.
• Japan Finance Corporation (日本政策金融公庫)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a support institution partner. The association conducts joint seminars on JFC support measures for SMEs.
• Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (東京商工会議所)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a support institution partner. Awarded association member Hayashi Keishi with the Eco People Grand Prize.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government / Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Central Association (東京都中小企業団体中央会)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a support institution partner. Featured in Tokyo COMPASS PR magazine Vol. 9 (2025 Spring/Summer) as the special feature organization.
• Tokyo Tourist Association (東京観光財団)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an other support partner. Featured in Tokyo COMPASS Vol. 8 as a key partner organization.
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association Kanto Branch (日本弁理士会関東会)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional association partner. The association promotes events organized by the JPAA Kanto Branch, such as the 'Patent Attorney Day' commemorative event.
• 47 Prefectural SME Consultant Associations (全都道府県中小企業診断士協会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of 47 prefectural associations coordinated under the Japan Federation of SME Consultant Associations. The Tokyo Association is the largest member, with the others ranging from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
• Disaster Recovery City Planning Support Organization (災害復興まちづくり支援機構)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe association is a member of this organization and participates in the annual Disaster Recovery City Planning Symposium, contributing expertise on disaster recovery support for SMEs.

Scale indicators3 records

Broad incumbents

• Japan Federation of Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant Associations (日診連): National federation that coordinates all 47 prefectural SME consultant associations, including credential renewal rules and shared member My Page systems. Direct structural counterpart to Tokyo SMECA at the national level.

Direct peers

• Aichi SME Management Consultant Association (公益社団法人愛知県中小企業診断士協会): Major prefectural SME consultant association serving the manufacturing-heavy Aichi region, with a similar portfolio of training, practical work programs, research groups, and SME consulting. Comparable as a peer in scale and service mix.
• Osaka SME Management Consultant Association (一般社団法人大阪府中小企業診断協会): One of the largest prefectural SME consultant associations, offering the same combination of BPS diagnosis, practical work placement, research groups, and credential renewal training — directly comparable to Tokyo in scope and services.
• Kanagawa SME Management Consultant Association (一般社団法人神奈川県中小企業診断協会): Prefectural SME consultant association adjacent to Tokyo with overlapping member geography and a near-identical service offering (training, research groups, BPS diagnosis, credential renewal support).
• Saitama SME Management Consultant Association (一般社団法人埼玉県中小企業診断協会): Prefectural SME consultant association operating the same member-driven model with training, practical work, and SME diagnosis services; directly comparable as a near-Tokyo peer competing for members and SME clients.
• Chiba SME Management Consultant Association (一般社団法人千葉県中小企業診断士協会): Prefectural SME consultant association in the Greater Tokyo area offering matching training, research groups, and SME consulting — same membership-association model and service portfolio.

Emerging players

• Japan Management Association (公益財団法人日本経営協会): Long-established provider of management training, seminars, and consulting in Japan. While broader and more commercial than Tokyo SMECA, it competes for the same SME and mid-market training and consulting spend.

Others

• Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN (独立行政法人中小企業基盤整備機構): Government-affiliated SME support organization that co-delivers advisory and training programs with Tokyo SMECA. Comparable as a stakeholder/partner entity in the SME consulting ecosystem rather than a commercial competitor.
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association (日本弁理士会): National professional body for patent attorneys — comparable in governance and member-service model (membership, continuing education, research groups, regional chapters) and listed as a partner in Tokyo SMECA's network.
• Tokyo Certified Tax Accountants' Association (東京税理士会): Professional membership body with a formal SME support cooperation agreement with Tokyo SMECA (April 2021). Comparable as a similarly structured professional association providing SME advisory and continuing education to licensed members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 東京都中小企業診断士協会