The Empire

What The Empire does

The Empire (株式会社Empire) is a privately held Japanese IT consulting firm incorporated on August 16, 2013, by Representative Director Daisuke Kitagawa (北川大輔) and headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. The company delivers cloud computing consulting (cloud migration advisory, system design and construction, infrastructure design), IoT and smart factory consulting, Infrastructure as Code and DevOps implementation support, server and network infrastructure services (including bare metal and cloud), and enterprise website planning and construction. All services are professional consulting engagements rather than packaged software products, and the firm explicitly positions itself as a domain specialist in cloud, IoT, and smart factory topics for Japanese enterprises.

The company's go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting large Japanese corporations, with named customers including NEC Nets Esia (NECネッツエスアイ株式会社), NTT Data先端技術 (NTT Data Advanced Technology), NTT Dataニューソロン (NTT Data Newsoron), Macnica Networks (マクニカネットワークス株式会社), and IBM Japan (日本アイ・ビー・エム株式会社). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the only public pricing signal is a starting monthly salary of ¥230,000 for entry-level engineer positions (with skills/experience-based adjustments), posted on the company's recruitment page. The firm operates exclusively within Japan, with marketing limited to its corporate website and a Zenn-hosted technical blog.

The business model is consulting-only and bootstrapped: registered capital is just ¥300,000 (approximately $2,000 USD), no external venture, private equity, or strategic investment is evident, and ownership and executive control rest with the founder. The firm maintains a JIS Q 15001-aligned personal information protection management system (formalized in February 2025) and hosts the Chef Users Group (Chefユーザー会) community, indicating recognized expertise in infrastructure automation. Customer concentration, headcount trends, revenue, and any M&A or capital-raising activity are not disclosed in the input data, and the absence of these signals over a twelve-year operating history is itself a defining feature of the firm.

Name

The Empire

Legal name

株式会社Empire

Website

https://www.the-empire.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Empire (株式会社Empire) is a Tokyo-based, founder-owned IT consulting firm offering cloud computing, IoT, smart factory, and DevOps/infrastructure automation consulting services to large Japanese enterprises including NEC, NTT Data group companies, Macnica Networks, and IBM Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Consulting Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAEAB

Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Technology & Digital Consulting

SECONDARYBPAEAJAB

ITIL/ITSM Process Consulting & Implementation

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/IT Service Management (ITSM) & Service Desk

Keywords

• Cloud computing consulting
• IoT consulting services
• Smart factory consulting
• IT infrastructure consulting
• DevOps consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including cloud computing technology consulting, IoT technology consulting, and smart factory consulting for enterprise clients in Japan

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Empire is a Tokyo-based IT consulting firm that delivers cloud computing consulting, IoT technology consulting, smart factory consulting, and industrial IT management software implementation consulting to enterprise clients. The firm also provides Infrastructure as Code, DevOps design and construction, and server/network infrastructure services. Services are delivered as professional consulting engagements to large Japanese corporations.

Product overview

The Empire is a technology consulting firm offering a portfolio of IT consulting services. The core offerings include Cloud Computing Technology Consulting (for cloud migration, system design/construction, and infrastructure implementation), IoT Technology Consulting (for smart factory implementations and industrial IT software), Infrastructure Automation Consulting (for DevOps and IaC implementations), Server Infrastructure Services (for server and network design/construction), and Enterprise Site Planning and Construction. These services are delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than packaged software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cloud Computing Technology Consulting Cloud computing consulting services covering cloud migration advisory for customer systems, cloud computing system design and construction, and infrastructure design and construction using cloud computing platforms. Delivered to enterprise clients seeking cloud adoption and modernization.
• IoT Technology Consulting IoT technology consulting services supporting smart factory implementations and industrial IT management software introduction consulting. Targeted at manufacturers and industrial enterprises deploying connected-device solutions.
• Smart Factory Consulting Smart factory transformation consulting that helps industrial clients plan, design, and implement connected manufacturing environments and digital factory initiatives.
• Infrastructure Automation Consulting Infrastructure as Code consulting including customer system automation consulting, business application automation and DevOps design/construction, and infrastructure automation design/construction using IaC tooling.
• Server Infrastructure Services Server and network construction services spanning cloud computing and bare-metal environments, including customer system proposal, design, construction, and infrastructure operations tied to specification changes.
• Enterprise Site Planning and Construction Enterprise website planning and construction services supporting the corporate online presence of clients.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Classmethod, Inc. Tokyo-based Japanese cloud and DevOps consulting firm specializing in AWS, IaC, and cloud-native development — direct overlap with The Empire's cloud + infrastructure-automation consulting practice.
• ServerWorks Co., Ltd. Japan-focused AWS Premier Tier consulting partner offering cloud architecture, migration, and managed services — closely comparable in cloud-centric consulting model and target enterprise segment.
• Iret, Inc. (cloudpack): Operator of cloudpack, a Japanese AWS-managed-services brand offering cloud architecture, 24/7 operations, and consulting to enterprises — directly comparable cloud-infrastructure consulting focus.
• Future Corporation: Japanese IT consulting firm providing cloud, enterprise IT modernization, and digital transformation services to large Japanese corporates — similar enterprise DX consulting model at a slightly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• BIPROGY Inc. Major Japanese SI (formerly Nihon Unisys) delivering cloud, IoT, and enterprise system consulting across industries — overlapping capability set but operating at much larger, generalist scale.
• Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ): Established Japanese internet/cloud and managed-services provider offering cloud architecture and network consulting — broader portfolio but overlapping enterprise infrastructure practice.
• Nomura Research Institute (NRI): Large Japanese consulting and IT solutions firm serving financial and enterprise clients with cloud/DX advisory — much larger but targets the same enterprise consulting buyer.
• Otsuka Corporation: Large Japanese IT services and solution provider covering infrastructure, cloud, and managed services for enterprise customers — broader portfolio but overlapping enterprise infrastructure space.

Regional players

• SAKURA Internet Inc. Japan-domestic cloud hosting and infrastructure provider also offering migration and consulting services — regional peer serving the same Japanese SMB/enterprise cloud segment.

Others

• HashiCorp (now IBM): Vendor of infrastructure-as-code and cloud automation tooling (Terraform, Vault, etc.) underpinning The Empire's IaC/DevOps consulting practice — ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but shapes competitive tooling expectations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/empire.jp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-empire-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Empire