General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning

What General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning does

The General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning (一般社団法人 相続終活専門協会), founded November 1, 2017 and headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, operates as Japan's dedicated professional certification body for inheritance and end-of-life ("sokatsu") planning advisors. Its flagship product is the 相続終活専門士 (Sokatsu Specialist, abbreviated 相活士) certification, a 50-question multiple-choice exam administered at venues in Tokyo and Osaka, priced at 22,000 yen tax-inclusive and accompanied by mailed study materials. Successful candidates become certified members with access to a member-only online portal (相活士ONLINE), free seminars, email newsletters, discounted publications, and ancillary services including original business card printing (3,300 yen per 100 cards) and certification card reissue.

The association does not develop proprietary technology; its infrastructure consists of a public website (sokatsu.jp), a related information site (egonsouzoku.com), a member login portal, and a standard web-based exam registration system with credit card and convenience store payment processing. Its competitive position is built on content rather than technology: a board of directors spanning financial planning, tax accounting, law, and certified public accounting credentials, plus an active thought-leadership footprint across major Japanese media (週刊現代, 週刊文春, 東洋経済オンライン, 現代ビジネス, 日経ビジネスオンライン, Yahoo! News, 女性セブン, and InterFM radio), and a catalog of director-authored books published through commercial houses (幻冬舎, 現代ビジネス新書).

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: one-time certification examination fees (22,000 yen), recurring member services and product sales (business cards, publications, portal access), and earned media-driven demand generation via in-person seminars held across Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Saitama at 3,000-5,000 yen per attendee (free for certified members). The association serves two primary customer segments: general Japanese consumers navigating inheritance and end-of-life decisions in the context of the 2015 inheritance tax law expansion (taxable population rose from approximately 4% to 8.5% nationally and approximately 17% in Tokyo), and credentialed professionals — including 1st-class FPs, tax accountants, lawyers, and CPAs — who obtain the Sokatsu credential to differentiate their advisory practices.

Name

General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning

Legal name

一般社団法人 相続終活専門協会

Website

https://sokatsu.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning is a Japanese professional association that administers the Sokatsu Specialist certification for inheritance and end-of-life planning advisors, serving both general consumers seeking guidance and credentialed professionals such as financial planners, tax accountants, lawyers, and CPAs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Awarding Organizations & Credentialing Bodies (Certificates/Diplomas) (EDADAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal, Governance, Privacy & Audit Certifications (EDAAANAN), Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

Keywords

• Professional certification programs
• Inheritance planning advisory
• Estate planning training
• End-of-life planning education
• Succession planning certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Examination Fees: Primary revenue stream from examination fees charged to candidates for the 相続終活専門士 certification. Candidates pay 22,000 yen (tax-inclusive) per exam registration. The fee covers exam admission, a practice question set, supplementary textbook, and main qualification text mailed to the candidate.
2. Member Services and Products: Recurring revenue from member services including original business card printing (3,300 yen per 100 cards) and discounted association publications sold exclusively to certified members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The association administers the 相続終活専門士 (Sokatsu Specialist) professional certification through a 50-question multiple-choice exam (22,000 yen, tax-inclusive), and supports certified members — primarily financial planners, tax accountants, lawyers, and CPAs — with member benefits including access to the 相活士ONLINE portal, free seminars, email newsletters, and supplementary services such as original business-card printing and certification-card reissuance. It complements its certification with public seminars on inheritance and end-of-life planning topics held across Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Saitama.

Product overview

一般社団法人はんそく終活専門協会は、「相続終活専門士」資格認定試験の実施を核とした専門職業資格協会です。主なサービスは①相続終活専門士資格試験（マークシート式、22,000円）、②相活士ONLINE会員専用サイト、③オリジナル名刺作成・認定カード再発行等の付随サービス、④書籍出版（代表理事江幡吉昭著の相続関連書籍）、⑤遺言相続.com関連ウェブサイトで構成されています。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 相続終活専門士 Certification Exam (Sokatsu Specialist Certification Exam) Proctored certification examination for individuals seeking the 相続終活専門士 professional credential; format is 50 multiple-choice questions with 4 options each, passing score 35/50, fee 22,000 yen tax-inclusive; results mailed within one month of the exam date.
• Original Business Card Printing Service (for certified 相続終活専門士 members) Custom-printed business card production service exclusively for certified 相続終活専門士 members; order fulfilled roughly within one month of payment confirmation.
• 相続終活専門士 Certification Card Reissuance Service Reissuance of the official 相続終活専門士 certification card for members who need a replacement; produced and shipped within approximately one month of order and payment confirmation.
• Public Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning Seminars Paid public seminars on inheritance and end-of-life planning topics (3,000 yen standard seminars, 5,000 yen 遺言書 seminar; free to certified members); conducted in physical venues in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Saitama as a demand-generation channel into the certification program.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 日本弁護士連合会 (Japan Federation of Bar Associations): National federation of Japanese bar associations. Comparable because one of the subject's directors is a lawyer and the certification curriculum covers wills, civil code succession, and 遺言 — areas in which 弁護士会 continuing legal education can substitute for the subject's offerings.
• 日本FP協会 (Japan Association for Financial Planners): Established Japanese professional body for CFP®/FP certifications. Comparable as the primary credentialing organisation for financial planners — the very audience the subject association equips with the 相続終活専門士 credential — and offers continuing education that could substitute for or absorb inheritance-planning content.
• 日本公認会計士協会 (Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants): Statutory professional body for Japanese CPAs. Comparable as one of the subject's directors is a CPA, and CPA continuing-education programmes can deliver inheritance/estate content to the same audit/tax professional segment the subject association targets.
• 日本税理士会連合会 (Japan Federation of Tax Accountants Associations): National federation of Japanese tax accountant associations with statutory standing. Comparable because one of the subject's directors is a tax accountant, and inheritance-tax expertise overlaps with tax accountant training; the federation's continuing-education programmes are a natural substitute channel for end-of-life tax content.

Direct peers

• 一般社団法人 相続診断協会: Japanese association administering the 相続診断士 (Inheritance Diagnosis Specialist) certification, a directly adjacent credential in inheritance planning. Comparable as it operates a similar member-credential model targeting the same Japanese inheritance-advisory audience and competes for the same consumer awareness.
• 終活ねっと: Japanese end-of-life planning information portal serving consumers planning inheritance, wills, and 終活 topics. Comparable as it targets the same consumer-facing audience with overlapping content (wills, inheritance tax, end-of-life notes), acting as a parallel demand-generation channel that can compete with the subject association's seminars and publications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about General Incorporated Association for Inheritance and End-of-Life Planning