Your Japan BD team — before you hire one.
We find your first Japanese partners, open the conversations in Japanese, and tell you every month what's working and where it's stuck.
No Japan entity or local hire required to start.
Book a 30-minute call →
Japan is hard to read from abroad.
- Emails in English from HQ rarely get an answer — or get a polite reply that leads nowhere.
- Many Japanese companies take first contact through inquiry forms and introductions, not cold email.
- You can't tell whether the problem is the product, the positioning, or the approach.
- A country manager or a Japan entity is a big commitment before you know Japan is worth it.
Is it the product — or the approach?
When Japanese companies don't respond, the reason isn't always the product. Often it's who you approached, through which channel, and how the first message read in Japanese.
Separating those two questions early is what tells you whether Japan really fits your product.
Between hiring a team and sending in bulk.
| Hire a country manager | Mass outreach agency | BANTO BD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Full salary, months to recruit | Low cost per send | Fixed monthly fee, 3-month start |
| Who you reach | Helpful if their network happens to fit | Hundreds of companies, same message | Partners mapped across the market, each approached its own way |
| What you learn | A lot — once they're hired and ramped | Send counts, little else | Who responded, who passed, and why — every month |
Find. Open. Join.
Find
We map Japanese partners who already sell to your customers — resellers, system integrators, consultants, cloud and IT service providers. Each comes with a reason why they fit.
Open
We reach each one individually, in Japanese, through the channels Japanese companies actually answer: email, inquiry forms, LinkedIn, introductions and events. Every message is checked by a person before it goes out.
Join
When a partner responds, our Founder sets up and joins the first meeting, reads the room, and hands warm conversations over to your team.
The read on Japan, not just a send count.
The outreach is the work. The monthly report is what you're paying for: a clear view of what Japan is telling you about your product.
- Who we contacted, who responded, and what they said
- Why others passed — the product, the positioning, or Japanese business norms
- Gaps to fix before scaling: Japanese materials, local support, yen pricing, security certifications
- What to change next month
Founder-led. Team-run.
The Founder joins the moments that matter: calls with your HQ team as needed, and the key partner meetings where tone and timing decide the outcome. Research, outreach and tracking are handled by a trained BANTO team, with AI doing the heavy lifting on research and drafts.
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. Your communication with the Japan side stays with BANTO, from first contact to handover.
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.
Set up. Open. Learn.
Month 1 — Set up
Kickoff with your team, a Japan-readiness review of your materials, and a partner long list you approve.
Month 2 — Open
Individual outreach in Japanese, follow-ups, and the first partner conversations.
Month 3 — Learn
More meetings, and a clear read: where Japan fits your product, and where to focus next.
One monthly fee. Three months to a clear answer.
Additional Founder time is available on request.
Included every month
- Partner research and individual outreach in Japanese to 30–40 companies
- Founder in up to 2 key partner meetings
- Meetings with your HQ team as needed
- The monthly Japan report
Notes on finding partners in Japan.
After the Trade Show: Why Japanese Leads Need a Different Follow-Up
Why booths in Japan rarely have meeting space — and what that means for following up on the leads you collect.
PartnershipsAlready Running Events Back Home? Use Them to Find Partners in Japan
Sending your event press release to the PR department of a potential partner can open real alliances in Japan.
OutreachCold Outreach in Japan: Make It Easy for the Person Who Picks Up
Why one polite phone call often gets your message to the right person when an email to info@ does not.
Tell us where things stand in Japan.
In 30 minutes, we'll look at your product, who you've already talked to, and what a first three months in Japan could test.
Book a 30-minute call →