Shinji Sumida
Shinji Sumida
Attorney and Patent Attorney (Born October 1975, Managing Partner of Akasaka International Law & Accounting Firm)
Biography |
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Commitment: We accelerate corporate growth through “profit-driven legal services” that maximize your company’s profits.
Japan in 2024 and beyond faces challenges such as population decline and delays in digital transformation (DX). Therefore, conventional success formulas no longer apply. Thus, our firm serves as a strategic partner to help your company overcome these changes and achieve success.
Challenges Faced by Companies in a Declining Population Society
Many companies face four major obstacles: labor shortages, rising costs, declining sales, and inefficient marketing. These are not isolated issues. Rather, they are interconnected. Consequently, traditional “defensive legal services” are insufficient. A fundamental transformation of your business model is necessary to prevent declining profit margins.
| Challenge | Background | Our Firm’s Support |
| ① Successor and Labor Shortages | Declining workforce due to an aging population and low birth rates. | Support for talent acquisition through M&A and business automation via DX. |
| ② Rising Recruitment Costs | Intensified competition for skilled talent. | Propose organizational strategies to reduce unnecessary hiring costs. |
| ③ Service Commoditization | Market contraction and inflation-driven price competition. | Support the creation of high-value new businesses from a legal perspective. |
| ④ Increasing Sales Costs | Traditional marketing methods becoming ineffective. | Develop diverse revenue models, such as strategic partnerships and licensing businesses. |
Addressing Internal Resistance to Organizational Change
Many organizational changes fail due to resistance from those favoring the status quo. Therefore, start with small, executable DX initiatives. Then, demonstrating tangible results early is critical. This is because such results prove the effectiveness of change and provide momentum to overcome opposition.
Create Small Success Stories with DX
Resistance to change within organizations is common. For example, inertia such as “we don’t want to change our ways” or “change feels like self-denial” often hinders reform. However, DX is far easier than hiring top talent. In fact, with no-code tools available today, even non-experts can automate processes. First, thoroughly identify wasteful tasks. Then, start building systems that generate significant profits with minimal staff.
Boost Cohesion by Redistributing Profits
Furthermore, when profit margins improve, redistribute those profits as bonuses to employees. This approach fosters lower turnover and higher employee satisfaction.
Preparing for Sustainable Growth through New Businesses
The key to new business success lies in the CEO directly leading and exploring customer needs. Attempting to develop a perfect product in-house is risky. Instead, propose a prototype to customers first and proceed with full development only after securing orders.
Develop by Reverse-Engineering Customer Needs
Redefine your business purpose from “products (nouns)” to “experiences (verbs).” This approach significantly expands business possibilities. For instance, Toyota shifted from “manufacturing cars” to “providing mobility experiences.” Similarly, establishing a new Mission, Vision, and Values (MVV) is critical. This is because new businesses without MVV risk becoming self-serving.
Flexible Options Beyond In-House Development
Additionally, there’s no need to cling to in-house development. Rather, leverage generative AI, outsourcing, or M&A, and always explore the most efficient methods. Thus, seeking optimal solutions is a prudent management decision to avoid reckless ventures.
Strategies for Business Expansion through M&A
For efficient business expansion, M&A is an effective tool. Acquire companies facing successor shortages. This allows you to gain technology, sales channels, and talent in one go. As a result, costs and time for recruitment and training are significantly reduced. In essence, CEOs must maintain an investor’s perspective, identifying which companies will drive growth.
Targeting Domestic and International Markets
Particularly, caution is needed in traditional industries like fisheries, where market consolidation is expected in aging regions. Therefore, staying vigilant about who will dominate these markets is crucial. The same applies to international expansion. In other words, acquiring promising overseas companies at a low cost can be an effective growth strategy.
Eliminating Bottlenecks Hindering Business Growth
Analyze why products aren’t selling from three perspectives: price, awareness, and sales methods, and implement precise countermeasures. For example, if high prices are the issue, introduce a subscription model. Thus, flexible thinking unbound by conventional assumptions is essential.
Finding Opportunities through Partnerships
Modern business rarely succeeds alone. Therefore, consider which partnerships can create synergies. In other words, always aim to align with “winners” and avoid going it alone. In fact, chaotic, unregulated domains often hold new business opportunities.
[Important] Essential Considerations for Modern Business
In addition to compliance, preparing for geopolitical risks is essential. Particularly, caution is needed in international business. This is because business plans lacking a security perspective can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Therefore, modern legal services must treat these new risks as management challenges and implement countermeasures.
My Role: Securing Your Growth through Legal Services
- Provide action plans and risk assessments to convert sales opportunities into guaranteed profits through legal expertise.
- Consider PR strategies to prevent controversies and build a robust revenue structure.
- Anticipate the opposing party’s legal intentions to conduct advantageous negotiations.
- Support the CEO’s vision with transformations, including cash flow management.
- Swiftly identify and eliminate growth barriers, committing to business expansion.
- Assist in crisis situations, creating an environment for focused responses.
By supporting these systematized efforts, we solidify your business model. In other words, this is the essence of my proposed “profit-driven legal services.”
Main Publications |
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Lectures |
Additionally, lectures on innovation for major logistics companies and legal topics for foreign government-related representative offices are provided. For lecture requests, please contact us via inquiry. |
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| Languages | Japanese, English, and French |
| Main Practice Areas | Corporate Legal Affairs (Engaged in various matters including Company Law, Labor Law, and Intellectual Property Law) |
| Related Pages | Currently Active Serials:
Currently Inactive Serials:
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| SNS | Twitter, Facebook, Note |