Financial Statements

What Are Financial Statements?

Financial Statements (決算書, kessansho) are the annual financial reports that every Japanese company must prepare at the end of its fiscal year. They provide a comprehensive picture of the company's financial position, profitability, and changes in equity over the accounting period.

In Japan, these documents are filed with the tax office as attachments to the corporate tax return. Unlike in some countries where company financials are publicly available through a government registry, Japanese financial statements are private documents. They are not available to the public and can only be obtained from the company itself or through a formal disclosure request to the tax office.

This distinction is important for foreign investors and due diligence teams who may expect to pull financial data from a public registry as they would in the UK (Companies House) or the US (SEC filings for public companies).

What Information Do They Contain?

• Balance Sheet (貸借対照表, taisyaku taishohyo) — assets, liabilities, and equity at the end of the fiscal year
• Income Statement (損益計算書, son'eki keisansho) — revenue, expenses, and profit/loss for the fiscal year
• Statement of Changes in Equity — changes in shareholders' equity during the period
• Tax return attachments — supplementary schedules filed with the corporate tax return
• Notes to financial statements — accounting policies, contingencies, and supplementary detail

Who Needs This Document?

• Investors — for evaluating a company's financial health before investing
• Lenders — banks and financial institutions require them for loan applications
• Due diligence teams — essential for any M&A transaction or major business partnership
• Government contract offices — some public procurement processes require financial statements
• Business valuation professionals — for determining company worth
• Shareholders — entitled to review the company's financial performance

How to Obtain Them

From the Company

The most direct route is to request them from the company. Shareholders have a legal right to inspect financial statements. Business partners and potential investors typically receive them as part of negotiations or due diligence, subject to the company's willingness to share.

Via Disclosure Request

A formal disclosure request (開示請求) can be submitted to the tax office where the company files its returns. This process is governed by strict rules and typically requires a legitimate business purpose.

Through JapanCompanyDocs

We coordinate with the company or use appropriate legal channels to obtain financial statements on your behalf. We can also arrange certified translations of the documents into English.

Processing Time

If the company provides the documents directly, turnaround depends on their responsiveness. Formal disclosure requests to the tax office take 2-4 weeks. Through JapanCompanyDocs, typical delivery is 5-10 business days depending on the method used.

Pricing

There is no standard government fee for financial statements since they are company-held documents. Disclosure request fees are ¥300. For JapanCompanyDocs pricing, see our packages page.