Interview with Mr. Shibata, CEO

We interviewed Mr. Shibata, CEO of Trade Tax East Japan (TTE), about the strengths of Trade Tax East Japan (TTE) and himself.

International Business Consulting

TradeTax East Japan is a business consulting company.
The company in Tokyo is called TradeTax East (TTE) and the other in Osaka is called TradeTax West （TTW).
We have feedbacked very positive reputations from companies doing foreign and global business.

We work with TradeTax international tax and accounting firms.
We provide our clients with the services that maximize after-tax cash-flow.

We focus on the efficient improvement and management of commercial and logistics operations in global supply chains. Reorganization through the movement of locations within Asia, successful exits, and compliance with security trade controls linked to Europe and the U.S. are also new business areas.

Business experience and network

For business owners who are considering investing in Japan/Asia business

Many foreign companies used Singapore or Hong Kong as their Asian base, but people are not aware that it is also advantageous to invest in Asia from Japan.

Japan has a well-developed insurance system that covers the risk of investment in Asia by Japanese subsidiaries. In addition, in principle, dividends received in return for investments in Asia are not taxed.
The corporate tax rate is 15% for income up to 8 million yen, which is comparable to Singapore. Workers are diligent and work hard.

What kind of company is it?

Centered in Tokyo and Osaka, we have overseas partners (Europe, USA, China, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.), so we can work with your partners to help you increase your global group-wide cash flow.

What is the background of your CEO?

I was a businessman at a large big company called Nippon Suisan. I was in charge of the international supply chain and the re-structuring of international offices, which is the origin of my current job.

During the latter half of my corporate career, I formed a joint venture with New Zealand Meat Board.
The company had a farm in Palmerston North on the North Island of New Zealand and raised 1,500 head of cattle and 1,500 head of sheep. In Japan, we acquired a company called Sendai Ham and formed a global meat and meat products supply chain.

I later became a top-class international tax specialist, but the blood of a businessman runs through my veins at the core.
How can we make our clients’ businesses top class?
I am constantly thinking and doing for the benefit of the client.

What are your most important thoughts?

It is said that former Sony President Akio Morita asked the then Prime Minister in Japan Kiichi Miyazawa, “Why can’t social sciences people improve foreign exchange and tax risks in business, when we Japanese engineers are working so hard every day to innovate and improve production cost?”

Decades have passed since then. The exchange rate still fluctuates 15-20% in the medium term. Taxes also vary by 15-20% from country to country in terms of effective corporate tax rates.
By improving this situation, we can improve operating income by about 10%.

Also, unlike the days of Mr. Morita, our national strength has declined. Education of young people is important. Mothers are still eager to turn their children into global citizens.

From now on, the ability to speak a foreign language will become relatively unimportant due to the development of IT communication tools.
Law, economics, accounting, and taxation in the liberal arts are interrelated and do not need to be studied separately. I think they should be lumped together in practice.
The education of young people must shift its center of gravity to mathematics, chemistry, and physics, and to history studies and philosophy, which nurture emotional development.

We need to create a society filled with hope and vitality, where life can be redone and challenged over and over again for those who are healthy and motivated.

<Profile>

Hobbies: Mountain climbing, skiing, traveling, reading
Languages: English, French

Completed graduate school of Yokohama National University, Completed graduate school of Waseda University, Completed graduate school of Radboud-Nijmegen University, the Netherlands and Green-Templeton College AMP, Oxford University, U.K.; LLM, MBA

After working for Nippon Suisan, IBFD Netherlands, and Arthur Andersen/KPMG
Founded TradeTax International Tax and Accounting Firm