Required first phase
90-Day Japan Validation Sprint
¥3,500,000
Offer diagnostic, decision-maker research, pattern synthesis and executive decision brief.
FOR OVERSEAS CEOs CONSIDERING JAPAN
Japan may never tell you “no.”
Walk into your next board meeting with evidence from Japanese buyers.
WaSanDo tests how qualified Japanese decision-makers respond to your offer, positioning, pricing and route-to-market assumptions before you invest in a local entity, office or sales team.
- 8–15 decision-maker conversations
- 90 days
- GO / ADJUST / NO-GO recommendation
01 / The question
Interest is not the same as intent
Positive conversations can mean different things. Validation looks for evidence behind the response without turning a small number of reactions into claims about an entire market.
- Courtesy
- A respectful response that does not yet indicate a next step.
- Curiosity
- Questions or attention that show interest in learning more.
- Internal discussion
- Evidence that the offer is being considered with colleagues or stakeholders.
- Commercial intent
- Specific signals about evaluation, buying conditions or a credible next action.
02 / Outcomes
Evidence for a real investment decision
Buyer response
How selected decision-makers understand and react to the offer.
Pricing and packaging
Questions and reactions that inform pricing and packaging hypotheses.
Objections
Recurring concerns, missing evidence and barriers to further evaluation.
Route-to-market hypotheses
Directional evidence about who must be involved and how the offer could reach them.
GO / ADJUST / NO-GO recommendation
A decision-oriented recommendation grounded in the patterns observed.
03 / Process
A focused 90-day validation process
The engagement normally includes 8–15 structured conversations. The exact participant profile and number are agreed after the offer diagnostic and depend on relevant decision-maker availability.
- 01
Offer diagnostic
Clarify the offer, intended buyer, assumptions and the decision the research must support.
- 02
Decision-maker conversations
Explore the offer with selected Japanese participants who match the agreed research profile.
- 03
Pattern synthesis
Separate isolated comments from repeated themes, tensions and open questions.
- 04
Decision brief
Translate the evidence into a GO, ADJUST or NO-GO recommendation and practical next steps.
04 / Access
Direct access to relevant decision-makers
WaSanDo can draw on relationships within a Japanese CEO business network. This creates a practical route to potential research participants, independent sales-channel candidates and partner introductions.
Access does not guarantee that a particular person, company or number of participants will be available. Every research sample is selected for relevance to the agreed question.
05 / Scope
What is tested
- Clarity and relevance of the value proposition
- Fit with the intended buyer and use case
- Questions around pricing and packaging
- Objections, proof requirements and perceived risk
- Evaluation path and stakeholder assumptions
- Conditions for a credible next step
06 / Research standard
Directional evidence, clearly labelled
This is focused qualitative research. Findings reflect the selected participants and questions explored; they are directional evidence, not statistically representative proof of demand across Japan.
The work reduces uncertainty around an offer. It does not guarantee sales, market entry, regulatory approval or commercial outcomes.
07 / Practical guide
Interest is not intent
Use this visual guide to distinguish a courteous response from evidence that a Japanese buyer is moving toward evaluation or purchase.
08 / Advisor
Your advisor
Kazuyoshi Tsuyukusa
Founder of WaSanDo · Japan business advisor and cross-border strategist
Kazuyoshi has lived and worked in Japan for 46 years. After completing an MA at Nanzan University and teaching, he was invited by Toyota to support work in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. He spent 18 years with Toyota-related international operations, later worked with Honda Trading, and founded WaSanDo after rebuilding his own career and business following the 2011 disaster.
His work has included overseas distribution, training, factory establishment, embassy coordination and support for European business operations. He combines corporate experience with the practical perspective of having built, lost and rebuilt an independent business.
- Languages
- Working languages: Japanese, English and Polish.
- Engagement role
- Kazuyoshi leads the offer diagnostic, research design, interpretation and final decision briefing. Relevant conversations may involve additional network members or specialists when the agreed question requires them.
09 / Fit
Is this the right fit?
Appropriate when
- You have a defined offer and a specific decision to make.
- You can identify an intended buyer or decision-maker profile.
- You are willing to adjust or stop based on the evidence.
- You need qualitative evidence before a larger local commitment.
Not appropriate when
- You need statistically representative market sizing.
- You are looking for guaranteed customers or sales.
- The offer or intended buyer is not yet defined.
- A launch decision has already been made regardless of the findings.
10 / Fees
Program fees
Begin with validation. Additional work is commissioned only when the evidence supports it.
Available after GO or ADJUST
Sales-channel test
+¥2,500,000
After the sprint, we can ask selected Japanese CEOs to try selling your offer to people they already know, before you open a company in Japan. This tests whether a channel can start. It does not promise customers or revenue.
Available after sales-channel results
Japan presence support
+¥2,500,000
Kazuyoshi coordinates the Japan-setup path and introduces licensed specialists (lawyers, accountants, financial planners and others if needed). WaSanDo does not file, audit or advise as those professions.
Maximum fee if all three phases are commissioned: ¥8,500,000. Scope, taxes, expenses and payment terms are confirmed in the engagement agreement before work begins.
11 / Start here
Start your Japan validation
Tell us about your offer, intended buyer and the decision you need to make. WaSanDo will respond with the most practical next step for testing it in Japan.
Initial enquiries are normally answered within five business days. No confidential documents are required at this stage.
Prefer a direct conversation?Continue on WhatsApp