45-year-old liquor wholesaler in Tokushima, licence included, ¥0

What is for sale

This is a one-location liquor wholesale and retail business in Tokushima that has been operating for over 45 years, selling to about 60 local restaurants as well as to consumers via a physical shop and a major e-commerce marketplace (Amazon). The seller is transferring the whole company (share sale) because there is no successor and the current representative is aging. Revenue has been stable at ¥167–180 million over the last three fiscal years.

Because this is a share sale, the buyer acquires the whole company as-is — including its liquor sales licence, bank accounts, contracts, debts, and lease arrangements — rather than having to re-apply for licences and set up a new entity.

What is included

• Liquor sales licence (via continuing corporate entity)
• Inventory (~¥16,000,000, mainly wine/sparkling wine)
• 2 delivery vehicles (1 owned, 1 leased)
• Store and warehouse fixtures/equipment (fridges, ice maker, display cases)
• Amazon e-commerce store account
• Accounts receivable/payable and bank borrowings

Strengths (as the seller states them)

• Liquor licence carries over automatically because the corporate entity continues (share sale)
• 45+ years in business with a stable base of about 60 repeat restaurant clients
• Three sales channels (wholesale, retail, EC) diversify revenue, with EC operations already running
• Stable revenue of ¥167M–¥180M over the past three fiscal years

Wrinkles a careful buyer would ask about

• Share transfer means buyer generally assumes all existing assets and liabilities, including bank loans
• Store and warehouse are personally owned by the current representative; a rental arrangement is expected to be set up after the sale
• Detailed financials (net assets, cash balance, total assets, interest-bearing debt) are hidden until you register as a member
• New client growth currently relies mainly on referrals rather than active sales efforts
• Transfer of the Amazon seller account may be restricted by the platform's own rules and needs confirmation during negotiations

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.

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