The work that only happens in Japanese, handled in English.
Bank loans, accounting, payroll filings, the first customers. Run a company in Japan and almost all of this happens in Japanese. HAKKI takes it on in English and Japanese, so founders can stay on the research and the product. Built for research-driven startups, including those born at OIST, and for any founder building a company in Japan.
When this fits
- You want a bank loan, but the cash-flow table, the profit plan and the application itself have to be written in Japanese, and the meeting with the loan officer will be in Japanese too.
- Bookkeeping, payroll and social-insurance filings all run in Japanese, and licensed professionals who can work with you in English are hard to find.
- You are the founder and the lead researcher. Every hour spent on paperwork is an hour taken from the product.
- You have a working product and no one to find the first customers in Japan.
What HAKKI provides
Bank-loan applications, end to end
We prepare the cash-flow table, the profit-and-loss plan and the application documents in the form Japanese lenders expect, then sit beside you at the bank meeting and interpret. We have done this with Okinawa Development Finance Corporation and with regional banks.
Accounting and labor administration, with licensed professionals
Monthly bookkeeping, closing, payroll and social-insurance filings, handled in Japanese and reported to you in English. Where Japanese law requires a licensed tax accountant or labor consultant, we bring one in and stay in the middle as your English-speaking counterpart. For a business-manager visa or industry licences, we introduce an administrative scrivener we work with.
First sales in Japan
Finding and reaching the first Japanese customers, inside sales, and the marketing that feeds it. The same team that does this for corporate ventures does it for startups, sized to the stage you are at.
One counterpart for all of it
You do not need to manage a tax accountant, a labor consultant, a bookkeeper and a sales contractor separately. HAKKI is the one relationship, and coordinates the rest.
How it works
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A conversation
Thirty minutes, in English or Japanese, on where the company stands and what is taking your time.
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Scope and quote
We propose what HAKKI takes on, which licensed professionals are needed, and the fee.
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Start
A single agreement with HAKKI. We begin with whatever is most urgent, often the loan or the books.
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Ongoing
A one-hour online meeting each month, in English or Japanese, to go through the numbers and what is next. The cadence can be adjusted to what you need. We add or remove scope as the company changes.
How pricing works
Accounting and labor administration start at JPY 150,000 per month, with the fee set by scope. Bank-loan application support is on a success-fee basis: 5% of the loan amount actually disbursed, and nothing if the loan is not approved. We confirm the figures after the first conversation.
Questions we are often asked
Do you only work with foreign founders?
No. Most of the founders we work with are not Japanese, so English is built into how we work, but the service is for anyone building a company in Japan who would rather not run the paperwork themselves. Several of our clients are Japanese founders.
Can everything be done in English?
Communication with HAKKI, yes. The filings, the bank documents and the conversations with lenders and authorities happen in Japanese, and we do those for you.
Do you replace our tax accountant?
No. Tax filings and certain labor filings must be done by licensed professionals under Japanese law. We work with them, prepare what they need, and handle the day-to-day work and the communication with you. The same applies to visas and licences, where we introduce an administrative scrivener. HAKKI does operate Okinawa Prefecture's startup visa programme under contract, so for the startup visa itself we can advise you directly.
Which lenders have you worked with?
Okinawa Development Finance Corporation and regional banks in Okinawa. The documents and the meeting format are similar across Japanese lenders, so the same preparation applies elsewhere.
Do we need to be in Okinawa?
No. HAKKI is based in Naha and at the OIST Innovation Incubator, and most of the work is remote. Being in Okinawa helps for bank meetings, but it is not required.
Tell us what is taking your time.
Thirty minutes, in English or Japanese. We will tell you what HAKKI can take off your desk and roughly what it would cost. We reply within two business days.