Education-sector recruitment agency, Tokyo, growing profit every year

What is for sale

This is a paid recruitment agency based in central Tokyo that places candidates in education-related roles, specialising in one subject segment within the education industry; it does not handle staffing/dispatch, only placement. The company has increased revenue and profit every year since it was founded, run with a small operating team. The owner is selling to pursue further scale in what is described as a growing industry, and wishes to remain on as manager after the sale.

Because this is a share sale, the buyer takes over the company itself, including its lease, licences and bank accounts, rather than setting these up fresh.

What is included

• Real estate
• Equipment
• Inventory
• Business rights/franchise rights
• Patents
• Know-how
• Software
• Website/apps
• SNS/EC accounts (confirmed transferable with operator's consent)
• Paid employment placement business licence from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Strengths (as the seller states them)

• Specialises in a single subject segment within the education industry, giving high recognition among both employers and job seekers
• Increased revenue and profit every year since opening
• High operating profit margin achieved with a small operating team
• Operates in an industry where demand is expected to keep growing due to labour shortages

Wrinkles a careful buyer would ask about

• Business relies on existing contracted clients and registered job seekers, so buyers should check the current state of client relationships and recruiting channels (own website, word of mouth, SNS, job boards)
• Current owner wants to stay on as manager after the sale
• Detailed financials (executive pay, depreciation, cash balance, total assets, interest-bearing debt, net assets) are not shown and only become visible after member registration
• Seller is also exploring sale through other M&A brokers besides TRANBI
• Real estate is listed among transferred assets, implying property is owned rather than leased; buyers should confirm details

Paying for it

If you stay overseas. No Japanese bank will lend to a new company whose director lives abroad. The realistic stack is your own cash plus asking the owner to take part of the price over 2 to 3 years. That one question is in every Deal Pack.

If you move to Japan. On a visa that lets you run a business, Japan Finance Corporation lends up to ¥72M at about 1 to 2 percent for exactly this. Once you have a Japanese company, the government pays two-thirds of due diligence and registered-broker costs, up to about ¥8M (round 16 closes 6 Nov 2026). The company's existing bank relationship comes with it.

What this listing says. The listing does not disclose interest-bearing debt, net assets or cash balance, these are hidden until member registration, and the text says nothing explicit about loan guarantees, broker fees or payment instalments, so beyond noting these figures are withheld, nothing further is stated about debts, guarantees or payment terms.

Full rundown, with the catches: japandealflow.com/money