Japan Company Data Suppliers: An Editorial Buyer's Guide

The buyer market in Japan

Japan presents a structurally different challenge for compliance buyers than any other G7 market. The official company registration system is operated by the Ministry of Justice through the Legal Affairs Bureau (Houmu-kyoku) network of 50 regional offices and 232 local offices. Basic registration information is accessible digitally through the National Tax Agency’s Houjin Bangou (Corporate Number) system, which is free and public. But the depth of official public data is limited compared to the UK’s Companies House or Australia’s ASIC. The commercial credit bureau market, dominated by two firms that have no real Western equivalent in terms of depth and longevity, fills the gap.

The buyers are varied. International banks and corporates onboarding Japanese corporate counterparties need both the official corporate number lookup and a commercial credit report from one of Japan’s established bureaus. AML compliance teams working under Japan’s Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, administered by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Financial Intelligence Unit, need beneficial ownership verification and monitoring. Foreign companies considering Japanese joint ventures or acquisitions need a credit and intelligence picture that goes beyond the publicly available register. Japanese firms themselves routinely use credit bureau reports as a standard part of business onboarding.

The regulatory environment is specific. Japan’s AML/CFT framework is built around the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (the Proceeds of Crime Act) and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, with the FSA as the primary supervisor for regulated financial institutions. FATF’s third Mutual Evaluation of Japan (2021) found shortcomings in beneficial ownership transparency and the effectiveness of AML measures, which prompted a major domestic regulatory response including enhanced beneficial ownership requirements for corporate customers. The Act on Corporations was amended in 2021 to require registered companies to maintain a shareholder register that can be inspected by regulators, but public disclosure of beneficial ownership remains limited. Japan’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), substantially amended in 2022, governs how commercial data providers handle personal information on company officers and beneficial owners.

A practical note for foreign buyers: Japan’s commercial credit bureau system operates primarily in Japanese. Even bureau data from Teikoku Databank or Tokyo Shoko Research is predominantly Japanese-language, and English outputs are available only through specific international products or via broker. Buyers without Japanese language capability or a local intermediary face higher friction than in any other major market covered in this guide.

The market overview

1. NTA Houjin Bangou (Corporate Number) system (direct)

The National Tax Agency (NTA) operates the Houjin Bangou Koukai Site (Corporate Number Publication Site) at houjin-bangou.nta.go.jp, which provides free public access to basic corporate information for all Japanese legal entities assigned a Corporate Number (Houjin Bangou). The Corporate Number is a 13-digit identifier assigned to all Japanese corporations, incorporated foundations, and other registered entities. As of 2025, approximately 14 million entities have been assigned Corporate Numbers.

The free public data includes entity name (in Japanese characters and romanised), Corporate Number, registered address, date of incorporation, and status. It does not include director names, shareholder information, financial data, or beneficial ownership. The portal is in Japanese; there is no official English interface. Bulk data download is available in CSV format.

The Ministry of Justice operates a separate Online Registration Service (touki-kyotaku.moj.go.jp) for access to the official commercial register (Shogyou Touki). A certified register extract (Toukijiko Shoumeisho) can be ordered for approximately JPY 480 to JPY 600 (USD 3.20 to USD 4.00) per document online [VERIFY: current Ministry of Justice online registration service pricing from touki-kyotaku.moj.go.jp, 2026]. This is the closest Japanese equivalent to a UK Companies House printout or a Singapore ACRA Business Profile. Directors, registered capital, and articles of association details are in this extract.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s EDINET system (edinet-fsa.go.jp), operated by the FSA, provides free access to statutory financial filings for listed companies (Yuuka Shouken Houkokusho, equivalent to annual reports) and securities offering documents. EDINET is highly relevant for compliance buyers doing due diligence on listed Japanese entities.

Best-fit buyers: technical teams wanting free programmatic access to basic Japanese corporate data, legal teams needing official certified extracts for M&A or transaction purposes, and buyers checking whether a Japanese entity exists and has a valid Corporate Number.

2. Teikoku Databank (TDB)

Teikoku Databank (TDB) is Japan’s oldest and largest commercial business information company, founded in 1900. It maintains the largest and deepest private database of Japanese companies in the market, covering approximately 1.4 million active businesses in depth (with basic information on approximately 10 million entities). TDB’s data collection model is unique: its nationwide network of field researchers (chousain) conducts in-person visits to companies to verify financial information, verify directors, and assess business risk. That primary-source field collection gives TDB a depth of intelligence on private Japanese companies that no other supplier matches.

TDB’s core product is the Credit Report (Shinyou Chousa Hokokusho), a detailed company report covering company profile, directors and shareholders, financial summary, trade references, credit assessment, and TDB’s proprietary credit score (T-Score). The report is available in Japanese with an English-language version for international subscribers through TDB’s international business division. TDB also provides database products, monitoring services, and industry analysis. Its financial data on private Japanese companies, which are not required to publish detailed accounts in Japan’s public register, is gathered through direct interview and is not available from any official source.

Pricing for TDB credit reports is approximately JPY 7,000 to JPY 30,000 (USD 47 to USD 200) per report depending on company size and depth of investigation [VERIFY: current TDB report pricing from tdb.co.jp, 2026]. Enterprise subscribers pay annual contracts based on volume. For international buyers, TDB’s international service desk provides English-language reports and consultation. Best-fit buyers: Japanese banks and corporate credit teams doing domestic credit decisions, international companies conducting due diligence on Japanese partners or suppliers, and foreign acquirers needing deep intelligence on a Japanese M&A target.

3. Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR)

Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) is TDB’s main competitor, founded in 1948, with a similar field-research model and a comparable national coverage network. TSR covers approximately 2.5 million companies in its database, with field-researched in-depth reports on approximately 1.3 million entities. Like TDB, TSR’s credit reports combine Corporate Number lookup, director verification, financial data gathered directly from the company, trade references, and a proprietary credit score.

TSR and TDB are often evaluated side by side by Japanese corporate buyers and compliance teams. The industry consensus is that TDB has a slight edge on coverage of larger corporations and financial depth, while TSR has comparable coverage of SMEs and some buyers find TSR’s report format more accessible. Both firms are deeply embedded in Japanese B2B culture: it is standard practice for Japanese companies to pull a TDB or TSR credit report before entering a material business relationship, much as a UK trade credit team would pull a Creditsafe or Experian report.

TSR pricing for credit reports is approximately JPY 8,000 to JPY 25,000 (USD 53 to USD 167) per report [VERIFY: current TSR report pricing from tsr-net.co.jp, 2026]. TSR also provides an API for enterprise subscribers, monitoring services, and industry-specific risk data. English-language reports are available for international buyers through TSR’s global business division. Best-fit buyers: the same profile as TDB buyers, with buyers typically selecting one as their primary supplier and supplementing with the other for cross-validation on high-stakes decisions.

4. Risk Monster

Risk Monster is a Tokyo-based commercial credit bureau and business information provider, founded in 2000 as a more technology-focused alternative to the established TDB and TSR. Risk Monster operates an online portal (Kigyou Jouhou) that provides credit reports, company searches, monitoring, and compliance checks on Japanese entities. Its database covers approximately 3.7 million Japanese companies, with credit reports available for a broader entity universe than TDB’s depth-researched coverage.

Risk Monster’s differentiating feature is its online, self-service model: reports are available instantly through a subscription portal, without the turnaround time of a field-research report from TDB or TSR. The credit score and financial data are derived from official filings (tax office records, Corporate Number system, Ministry of Justice register) rather than field interviews, which means the financial depth is lower than TDB or TSR but the accessibility is higher. Monthly subscription pricing starts at approximately JPY 10,000 to JPY 50,000 (USD 67 to USD 335) per month depending on volume tier [VERIFY: current Risk Monster subscription pricing from riskmonster.co.jp, 2026].

Best-fit buyers: Japanese companies wanting fast, low-cost company checks at high volume without the turnaround time of a field-research report, tech teams integrating Japanese company data through an API, and buyers who need basic credit screening rather than deep intelligence.

5. D&B Japan partner (Moody’s Analytics Japan)

Dun and Bradstreet operates in Japan through a network partnership. Following the Moody’s acquisition of D&B in 2025 [VERIFY: confirm Moody’s D&B acquisition close date, and confirm whether Japanese D&B operations are now branded under Moody’s Analytics Japan], the D-U-N-S Number system and D&B’s global data products are accessible for Japanese entities through Moody’s Analytics Japan or the D&B international network. Japanese entities with D-U-N-S Numbers are linked into the global D&B ownership graph, which matters for multinational procurement teams who need a global identifier for Japanese suppliers.

The practical limitation in Japan is that D&B’s depth of intelligence on Japanese private companies is substantially below what TDB or TSR provides. D&B’s global graph can trace ownership for listed Japanese companies and for Japanese subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, but for private SMEs that are the bread and butter of TDB and TSR’s data, D&B’s coverage is thinner. International buyers who need D-U-N-S Numbers for Japanese vendors should use D&B or Moody’s Analytics Japan for the identifier assignment, while sourcing the underlying credit intelligence from TDB or TSR.

Enterprise pricing for D&B Japan products is negotiated through the Moody’s Analytics Japan commercial team and not publicly listed [VERIFY: current D&B Japan / Moody’s Analytics Japan pricing, 2026]. Best-fit buyers: multinational procurement teams who need D-U-N-S Numbers for Japanese vendors in a global supplier system, and cross-border compliance teams who want Japanese entities integrated into the global D&B/Moody’s ownership graph.

At-a-glance comparison table

Language and access friction

Japan’s company data market has the highest language and access barrier of any major market in this guide. Official portals (houjin-bangou.nta.go.jp, the Ministry of Justice registration service, EDINET) are predominantly Japanese-language. TDB and TSR reports are produced in Japanese as the default, with English translations available through international service divisions at additional cost and turnaround time.

For foreign buyers without Japanese language capability, the practical options are: (1) TDB International or TSR Global Business for English-language reports, (2) D&B/Moody’s Analytics Japan for an international-facing product layer, (3) a local intermediary or buyer’s agent who can access TDB/TSR and provide translated output, or (4) a compliance platform with Japan coverage that includes translation (for example, Refinitiv World-Check, Dun and Bradstreet, or Moody’s Orbis for listed entities).

The language barrier is not merely an inconvenience. Japanese company names can be romanised in multiple ways, and a search by romanised company name against the official database will often miss variants. Searching by Corporate Number (Houjin Bangou) is the most reliable approach and requires the buyer to obtain the number from the counterparty directly.

When to go direct vs use a reseller

Go direct to the NTA Houjin Bangou system when you need to verify that a Japanese entity exists and confirm its Corporate Number. This is free, instant, and in every compliance buyer’s toolkit as step zero.

Go direct to the Ministry of Justice Online Registration Service when you need an official certified register extract for legal purposes. At JPY 480 to JPY 600 per document, it is the primary-source document for Japanese M&A data rooms and regulatory filings.

Use TDB or TSR when you need credit intelligence, financial data, or risk assessment on a Japanese company. For most compliance, lending, and due diligence use cases, this is the decisive supplier choice. TDB or TSR is not optional for high-stakes decisions on private Japanese companies; no other source replicates their field-research depth.

Use Risk Monster when you need high-volume self-service access to basic company information and credit scores, and where the turnaround time of a TDB/TSR field report is not practical.

Use D&B/Moody’s Analytics Japan when you need D-U-N-S Numbers for Japanese vendors in a global procurement system.

UBO depth comparison

Japan’s beneficial ownership transparency is the weakest among the G7 markets. There is no public beneficial ownership register. Japanese companies are not required to publicly disclose their beneficial owners. The Ministry of Justice register shows registered shareholders only for listed companies (through EDINET); private company shareholder registers are not publicly accessible.

Following FATF’s 2021 Mutual Evaluation recommendations, Japan has tightened its beneficial ownership requirements for regulated financial institutions: under FSA guidance, banks and other reporting entities are required to verify beneficial ownership (defined as individuals with 25%+ ownership or control) for corporate customers. But the verification process relies on document requests from the customer and cross-checking against what information is commercially available, not against a public register.

TDB and TSR include director and shareholder data from their field research in their credit reports, but this is not equivalent to a public UBO register. The data reflects what the company disclosed to the researcher, not an independently verified ownership structure. For Japanese entities with complex offshore holding structures (common for joint ventures, family holding companies, and foreign-controlled entities), a buyer would need to combine TDB/TSR data (for the Japanese-side picture) with Moody’s Orbis (for cross-border ownership tracing) to approach a complete UBO view.

Compliance-buyer use cases

KYC onboarding: A bank onboarding a Japanese company needs: (1) Corporate Number verification from the NTA system, (2) Ministry of Justice register extract for current directors and registered details, (3) a TDB or TSR credit report for financial background and trade references, (4) beneficial ownership verification via direct CDD documentation from the counterparty (no public register to cross-check against), and (5) sanctions and PEP screening. The absence of a public UBO register means step 4 is operationally heavier in Japan than in UK, Germany, or France.

Credit and trade decisions: Japanese companies universally use TDB or TSR credit reports before entering material trade relationships. This is cultural as well as operational. A foreign company entering the Japanese market should expect its Japanese counterparts to have already pulled a TDB or TSR report on them before the first meeting.

M&A due diligence: A foreign acquirer doing due diligence on a Japanese target needs: certified Ministry of Justice register extracts, TDB or TSR full intelligence reports, EDINET financials (for listed targets), and an ownership structure analysis that typically requires direct document requests from the target for private companies.

Sanctions and adverse media screening: Japan’s OFAC and UN sanctions lists are administered by the Ministry of Finance. Commercial platforms like LSEG World-Check, Dow Jones Risk and Compliance, and Refinitiv handle sanctions and adverse media screening for Japanese nationals and entities, separate from the company data suppliers covered here.

Editorial verdict

If you are making a credit or due diligence decision on a private Japanese company, start with TDB or TSR. There is no substitute for their field-research data on private Japanese entities that do not publish financial statements publicly. TDB has a slight edge on coverage and brand recognition with larger Japanese corporates; TSR is comparable and some buyers prefer its report format.

If you are a foreign buyer who needs English-language output, both TDB International and TSR Global provide translated reports, but expect additional turnaround time and cost. D&B/Moody’s Analytics Japan is an alternative for international buyers who need D-U-N-S Numbers and global platform integration.

If you need basic entity verification and Corporate Number confirmation, the NTA Houjin Bangou system is free and sufficient. The Ministry of Justice register is the source for certified director and capital data.

If you are building an automated Japanese company lookup at scale, Risk Monster’s API and self-service model is the most technically accessible option, though the data depth is below TDB and TSR for the SME tail.

Citations: National Tax Agency Japan; FSA Japan; Ministry of Justice Japan; FATF. Pricing where marked [VERIFY] should be confirmed directly with the supplier. Yen/USD conversions at approximate 2026 rates.