SEISEI SERVICES — DIAGNOSTICS

Financial Architecture Diagnostics

"Is the current arrangement still sound?" is not a question that can be answered without looking. Every engagement at SEISEI begins with a diagnostic. Rather than proposing a remedy first and reconciling the facts afterwards, we render the present structure as a single drawing, and only then decide what should change.

This is for you if

You hold several entities, and no single drawing explains who holds what, at what percentage
The boundary between personally held assets and corporate assets has blurred over the years
Your tax accountant, bank and insurer each bring proposals, and you cannot tell whether they are consistent with one another
You have begun thinking about succession but do not know where to start
You want to know whether tax arrangements adopted years ago still work under the current code and the current size of the business

When this is not the right service

If the immediate task is meeting a filing deadline or handling an ongoing tax audit, the priority is practical work by a licensed tax accountant. A diagnostic is most useful precisely when no deadline is pressing. We also do not sell financial products, so we hold no answer to "which product should I buy".

What the diagnostic examines

Ownership

Under whose name, and inside which vehicle, each corporate interest, property, financial asset and policy sits — and whether legal title and economic reality have drifted apart.

Control

Where voting rights sit, whether class shares or personal provisions are in use, and whether economic interest has been separated from control.

Cash Flow

Through which route — remuneration, dividends, rent, intercompany loans — funds move, and in which entity or individual they accumulate.

Tax

Which taxable events the present structure has waiting, and when the next irreversible moment arrives.

Succession

What would happen if succession occurred today: statutory reserved portions, liquidity for the tax bill, and assets that cannot be divided.

Governance

Who decides, how external professionals divide the work, and — stated explicitly — which areas nobody is currently watching.

What the report contains

A single structural drawing of the present state, placing the company, the individual and the family on one page
An inventory of identified risks and opportunities, in priority order
The statutory basis for each finding, cited at the level of the provision itself (drawn from Archon™, our multi-jurisdiction legal database)
The issues that a design phase would address, and which category of licensed professional each issue requires
Improvements that require no involvement from us — stated as such

How findings are evidenced

"It is generally said that…" is not evidence. We use Archon™, our proprietary multi-jurisdiction wealth management platform — legal databases covering 10 jurisdictions, over 9,400 Japanese statutes in force, over 7,100 listing-rule provisions across 5 markets, and tax-burden simulation across 8 jurisdictions — to tie each finding to the text of the provision it rests on. Not the consultant’s recollection, but something you can check.

After the diagnostic

Proceed to design

A target structure is drawn and set beside the present one, with the migration path and its risks made explicit.

Act on it yourself

You may take the report alone and implement it with your existing tax accountant. The diagnostic is not a precondition for a design engagement.

Do nothing

"No change is needed right now" is a legitimate outcome of a diagnostic.

Frequently asked questions

I already have a tax accountant. Why would I need this?

The roles differ. A tax accountant is responsible for reporting established facts correctly. A diagnostic addresses the stage before that: how those facts come to exist — who holds what, and through which route funds move. The report is written on the assumption that you will share it with your tax accountant.

If I commission a diagnostic, am I committed to a design engagement?

No. The diagnostic is a standalone service. What you do afterwards, including nothing, is entirely your decision.

What documents are required?

Typically corporate financial statements and tax returns, the shareholder register, property registration and valuation materials, insurance policies, and an outline of the family — who lives where, under which residence status. A full list is provided before work begins.

What does it cost?

Scope varies with the number of entities, the number of jurisdictions and the composition of assets, so we do not publish a fixed schedule. We define the scope, quote it, and begin only once the quote is accepted.

Related insights

Get in touch

We start by hearing the outline of the present situation and advising whether a diagnostic is warranted. Write to ceo@seisei.tokyo.

SEISEI provides financial and management consulting. It does not constitute tax representation, preparation of tax documents, or tax consultation as defined in Article 2 of Japan’s Certified Tax Accountant Act. Filings and tax computations are handled by partner licensed tax accountants (zeirishi).