My interest in international tax began when I was working at a tax accounting firm in Fukuoka, Japan.
At the time, I was noticing more and more foreign people living and doing business in Japan. I started thinking that the need for international tax advice would only grow, while relatively few tax accountants were specializing in this area.
That was what first drew me to international tax.
I then decided to study English more seriously and spent time in the Philippines and Australia. I lived in Australia for about a year and a half, and for the first time, I experienced what it was like to live in another country as a foreigner myself.
My English was far from perfect.
But people were incredibly patient with me.
They tried to understand what I was saying, even when my English was difficult to follow. I have particularly fond memories of my time working at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney.
My colleagues would sometimes show me an object and tell me what it was called in English when I didn't understand a word. One of my colleagues, Gabriel, often talked to me. I suspect he may have been giving me opportunities to practice my English.
Looking back, I still wonder how they were patient enough to work with me. And how they decided to hire me in the first place.
I didn't end up improving my English as much as I had hoped—but I certainly learned a lot from the people around me.
Most importantly, I experienced firsthand how much it can mean when someone takes the time to help you when you are the one who doesn't quite understand.
That experience has stayed with me.
What I want to bring to my work
Japanese tax rules can be complicated even for people who have lived in Japan their entire lives.
For someone who has just moved to Japan, understanding the tax system can be even more challenging—especially when the rules, terminology, and expectations are different from what they are used to.
That is why I try to explain complicated tax matters as clearly as possible, without assuming that something is obvious just because it is familiar to me as a tax professional.
If something is difficult to understand, I am happy to go over it again.
My goal is simple:
I want my clients to feel that they came to the right person.
Tax is often connected to much bigger decisions—starting a business, moving to Japan, working across borders, investing, or managing a company.
So when a client comes to me with a question that goes beyond tax, I will try to help where I can. And if it is something outside my area of expertise, I will connect them with a professional I trust.
Why I started my own practice
Over the past ten years, I have worked extensively in international tax, supporting foreign individuals and international businesses with a wide range of tax matters.
As I took on management responsibilities, I became involved with more clients and staff members. But at the same time, I found that I had fewer opportunities to work directly with individual clients and really get to know their businesses and circumstances.
I realized that this was something I missed.
I wanted to work more closely with each client—to understand not only their tax situation, but also what they were trying to achieve in Japan.
That was one of the reasons I decided to start my own practice.
Technology also played a part.
In the past, when communication in English was difficult, I sometimes needed an English-speaking colleague to join meetings with me. Today, AI tools can help bridge some of that language gap.
AI does not replace professional judgment or the relationship between a client and a tax professional. But it gives me another way to communicate directly with clients and deliver the international tax expertise I have built over many years.
Looking back
When I look back, I feel that many seemingly unrelated experiences have led me here.
Studying English.
Living in the Philippines and Australia.
Experiencing life as a foreigner.
Being helped by people when I did not fully understand what was going on.
And spending more than ten years working in international tax.
They have all shaped the way I work today.
Perhaps the simplest way to put it is this:
I genuinely enjoy this work.
I enjoy getting to know my clients, making complicated tax matters easier to understand, and helping people navigate the tax issues that come with living and doing business in Japan.
If, at the end of the day, a client can say,
“I’m glad I came to you.”
then I feel that I have done my job.
And perhaps, in my own small way, I can return some of the kindness I received when I was living abroad.
### A note on the English
English is not my first language, so I used ChatGPT to help polish the English in this article. The story and thoughts behind it are entirely my own.