Why Japanese Accounting Firms Still Struggle With Digital Tools - and Where AI Can Help

Since coming back to Japan, I’ve been connecting with many Japanese accounting firms - mostly small and medium-sized businesses. I’ve spoken to them both as potential clients for GetItDoneWith.AI and as a founder looking for service providers for my new venture in Japan.

Here are some of the challenges I faced:

1. Slow responsiveness

• One accountant with 15 years of experience told me he cannot take new clients due to resource constraints.

• Several firms took 5-6 hours to reply to simple emails, and some took more than 24 hours.

• One firm didn’t respond for 40 hours - not even an automatic acknowledgement email.

2. Lack of basic digital processes

• One company sent me PDF documents by email that required an authentication process, with the access password sent in a separate email. It felt outdated and unnecessary.

• One accountant said he takes pride in being available for clients 24/7, including weekends. I asked if he automated any part of this - he said no :)

3. Rigid systems and limited tools

• One firm only supports companies using one specific accounting software, because they lack expertise in others.

• Some firms sent me proposals that looked very “Excel-made,” with outdated formatting and manual structure.

All of this made me think: Japan is full of opportunities for automation and process improvement. The need is obvious, but the awareness is not.

A Refreshing Example: An Osaka Firm Doing It Right

In contrast, a local accounting firm from Osaka (around 80 members) showed a completely different mindset. They were genuinely excited about applying AI across their business. They explained that:

• They used to manage everything with paper

• In recent years, they introduced RPA (robotic process automation)

• Now they are shifting to AI-driven process automation, which they find cheaper, easier, and more flexible than RPA

The contact person said the decision to automate is driven by leadership. The owner strongly pushes digitalization so the team can do more work with fewer resources. They use AI not only for automation but also for idea generation and validation, while humans focus on building relationships with clients.

This is exactly the mindset shift needed:

Let machines handle repetitive tasks, and let humans focus on value.

How Japan Compares to Other Countries

Through recent conversations with accounting firms in the UAE, the US, and Singapore, I noticed they tend to adopt third-party digital tools much faster. They use automation, AI tools, and workflow systems far more often than Japanese companies, who still rely heavily on Excel or manual processes to solve internal problems.

Japan still enjoys a global image of being “high-tech,” but the reality inside many SMEs is very different. After eight years away, I’m surprised how little has changed in terms of digital adoption and operational efficiency.

AI for SMEs in Japan: A Big Opportunity

The gap is huge - and that means the opportunity is huge.

Japan doesn’t need hype or futuristic AI. It needs simple, practical AI tools that help busy people save time, reduce manual work, and operate more efficiently.

This is a mindset shift as much as a technology shift, and I used to tackle them at Goldman Sachs, Mitsubishi-Fuso Bus & Truck Company, ANA, LINE and Rakuten - with AI, the challenge remains the same, while solutions come faster once the mindset shift happens.

GetItDoneWith.AI's Role Moving Forward

I look forward to contributing to this change, one business problem at a time - helping Japanese SMEs adopt practical AI tools, automate tedious processes, and focus on what truly adds value.