Our clients
The clients we work
with tend to return.
That is not accidental. Long-term relationships produce better work. We invest in them accordingly.
Who we work with
Organisations with real problems
and the mandate to solve them.
We do not work with every organisation that approaches us. The engagements that produce the best outcomes have two things in common: genuine senior commitment and a problem that matters.
Multinational Corporations
Large organisations managing strategy across multiple geographies, often navigating the tension between global consistency and local responsiveness. We bring market-specific depth alongside broader strategic rigour.
Mid-Market Companies
Owner-managed or PE-backed companies at inflection points — entering new markets, integrating acquisitions, professionalising operations, or preparing for a transaction. Responsive, senior advisory is particularly valuable at this scale.
Public Sector & Institutions
Government-linked entities, public agencies, and institutional investors engaged in strategic transformation, governance improvement, or cross-border programme delivery. We adapt our advisory to the distinct dynamics of institutional decision-making.
Industries
Deep expertise. Narrow scope.
We work in five sectors and decline work outside them. Depth matters more than breadth in advice that has consequence.
01
Manufacturing & Automotive
Production systems, lean transformation, supplier network design, cross-border manufacturing footprint, and quality system architecture. Deep roots in the Hiroshima and Toyota industrial ecosystems.
02
Technology & Electronics
Go-to-market strategy for hardware and software companies, product localisation, partnership structuring, and market entry for companies seeking Japan presence or Japan expansion to global markets.
03
Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
Regulatory navigation, clinical operations optimisation, market access strategy, and portfolio rationalisation. Experience with PMDA regulatory framework and multi-country approval sequencing.
04
Financial Services
Risk governance, product structure, regional expansion frameworks, and compliance architecture for banks, asset managers, and insurance groups operating across Asia-Pacific and Europe.
05
Retail & Consumer Goods
Demand planning, distribution architecture, brand entry and repositioning in Japan, and category strategy for consumer companies managing portfolios across differentiated market structures.
We do not take engagements outside these five sectors. This is deliberate. The quality of our advice depends on the depth of our industry knowledge. We will tell you early if a potential engagement falls outside our scope.
Geographic reach
Where we work.
Primary depth in Asia-Pacific. Working relationships across Europe and the Americas built over two decades of cross-border engagements.
Asia-Pacific — Core
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Our deepest market knowledge and longest-standing client relationships. Direct operating presence in Japan through our Hiroshima and Tokyo offices.
Europe — Active
Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordics
Sustained engagements with European multinationals navigating Japan and Asia-Pacific, and with Asian companies building European operations. Strong networks in German automotive and Swiss life sciences sectors.
Americas — Selective
United States, Canada, Brazil
North and South American mandates principally involve companies with significant Asia-Pacific operations or expansion ambitions. We scope these carefully and engage where our Japan and regional expertise is the primary value driver.
Sectors represented
Client perspective
In their own words.
We came to Kokoro because we needed someone who understood Japan specifically, not Asia in general. The distinction turned out to matter enormously. Their read of the regulatory environment and partner landscape was accurate in ways our previous advisers' had not been.
Our engagement with Kokoro began as a six-week diagnostic. Eighteen months later they were still involved — not because the original problem wasn't solved, but because the work surfaced others that were more important. That's what good advisory looks like.
I have worked with several major consulting firms over twenty years. The difference with Kokoro is the seniority of the people you actually deal with. I was not briefing a partner to brief an associate. The thinking happened in the room.
The organisational work they did for us was technically strong, but what distinguished it was the implementation support. They stayed in contact through the first 90 days of the restructure. That continuity is rare and valuable.
How engagements typically begin
No standard packages.
Every engagement is scoped from the problem. These are the most common starting points.
Diagnostic
A structured, time-bounded assessment of a specific challenge or decision. Typically 4–8 weeks. Produces a clear articulation of the problem and a set of options with explicit trade-offs.
Typical duration: 4–8 weeks
Strategy Development
Market analysis, strategic option development, and recommendation, culminating in a decision-ready strategy document and implementation framework. Used for market entry, portfolio, and growth decisions.
Typical duration: 2–4 months
Standing Advisory
Ongoing advisory relationship at a defined scope and cadence. Used by leadership teams who want senior counsel available for decisions as they arise, rather than a one-time project deliverable.
Typical duration: Annual retainer