Test the Japanese market — without hiring a full-time Japan team.
A Japan-side account manager for your Japanese customers and prospects, from 10 hours a month.
Email, phone calls, visits and follow-ups. I judge what each relationship needs right now — and move it forward from the Japan side.
Book a free 30-minute call →
You see potential in Japan — but you're still testing it.
- It's too early to hire a dedicated Japan person.
- It's too early to set up a Japan entity.
- Outsourced account management is too expensive.
- HQ follows up in English, but deals aren't moving.
- You can't tell how interested your Japanese customers really are.
In Japan, communicating in English isn't always enough.
Many Japanese companies can work in English. But when your conversation is one English thread among projects running in Japanese, it can slip down the list — unless the other side has a strong reason to prioritize it.
When replies stop, one phone call often works faster than another email. One visit can change a relationship more than several online meetings. And sometimes, the right move is to wait.
With someone on the Japan side, small judgments and actions like these keep things moving.
A Japan-side account manager, sized to your stage.
Hiring a full-time Japan lead. Signing a costly market-entry package. Building a sales team. While you're still testing the market, you may not need any of that yet.
But with no one on the Japan side, the customer contacts and deals you've already built can stall. That's the gap I fill — from 10 hours a month, flexibly, starting small.
Move relationships forward — and bring back what you can't see.
Customer & prospect follow-up
- Follow-ups after meetings
- Reaching out when replies have stopped
- Email in Japanese and phone check-ins
- Visits when needed
- Keeping relationships with potential distributors and partners warm
Not just repeating scheduled contact — I read each response and decide what to do next.
Surfacing hidden barriers — and reporting back to HQ
Deals don't stall on price alone. An unclear explanation in Japanese, internal coordination on the customer's side, or a lack of information for the decision-maker — I pick up what isn't visible on the surface by talking directly with the Japan side.
Then I sort out whether it's specific to one company or a pattern across the market, and report back to HQ — feeding into your sales materials or PR when useful.
Not a task list. The next move.
The right next move
Send an email, make a call, visit, wait, or connect with someone else. I judge what's most natural in each situation.
On the ground in Japan
Beyond remote support, I can call, visit and act locally when needed — the small actions that having someone in Japan makes possible.
Beyond the conversation
Issues that surface with customers aren't treated as sales problems alone. Onboarding, customer success, PR — I look across them when needed.
Relationships, not just tasks.
Account management takes more than processing tasks. It takes reading the distance with each person — knowing when to take one more step, when not to push, and when it's time to meet in person.
Natsuki Suzuki, founder of BANTO, has experience founding a business abroad, in management, PR and corporate administration at a Japanese company, and in supporting overseas companies in the Japanese market. Understanding both sides, she helps you build relationships with your customers in Japan.
A clear aptitude for business development.Being able to identify the value proposition for another company, make the initial approach without introductions or precedent, and turn that interaction into a lasting business relationship demonstrates a clear aptitude for business development.
Takahiro ShimizuDirector & CAO (Head of Corporate Administration), Rigaku Body Co., Ltd.
A good fit if…
- You already have customers or prospects in Japan.
- Follow-ups after meetings have stalled.
- HQ is contacting Japanese companies in English.
- You want a better read on how interested your Japanese customers are.
- It's not yet time to hire a Japan lead.
- You don't need a large sales agency — you want to move your existing contacts forward carefully.
Flexible, from 10 hours a month.
Designed around the hours and scope you need.
Focused on follow-ups by email and phone — keeping relationships with existing customers and prospects moving.
Follow-ups, plus visits, interviews about what's blocking adoption, and feedback to HQ.
Notes on talking with Japanese customers.
What a Call Center Script Says About Who the Call Is For
A small change to the first line of a call script can change how the whole call lands.
ChannelsIn Japan, Even Hospitals and City Offices Use LINE
Why a LINE Official Account often reaches Japanese customers better than an email newsletter.
WordingWhy "Just Try Hearing Us Out" Reads Slightly Off in Japanese
How English "just" and Japanese てみる can end up stacked — and what natural Japanese CTAs look like.
Ready to move your existing contacts forward?
A Japan-side account manager, from 10 hours a month. Your first 30-minute online consultation is free.
Book a free 30-minute call →