Japan M&A Center Holds 30th Anniversary Event "M&A Conference 2021"

(From left) Japan M&A Center President and CEO Taku Miyake, Dentsu Inc. President and CEO Hiroshi Igarashi

Japan M&A Center, the No. 1 M&A firm by deal volume, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021. On November 5, it held the "M&A Conference 2021" as part of its anniversary events. With COVID-19 precautions in place, the venue had limited capacity and was attended by executives from financial institutions and corporations. The event was live-streamed online, attracting 150,000 registrants for the online viewing, concluding as a huge success.

Attending the venue was Hiroshi Igarashi, President and Representative Director of Dentsu Inc., which formed a business alliance with Japan M&A Center in 2019. He offered congratulatory remarks to Takashi Miyake, President and Representative Director of Japan M&A Center, on the 30th anniversary. He also stated that the two companies would further strengthen their collaboration and promote business transformation (BX) for companies to contribute to the sustainable development of the Japanese economy.

The conference was held at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo. It was conducted on a grand scale with thorough COVID-19 prevention measures in place. Online participation was also available.

Part 1 commenced with a keynote speech by Akio Nitori, Chairman and CEO of Nitori Holdings, on the company's growth strategy. This was followed by 43 sessions and presentations—the largest number in the Japan M&A Center's history—delivered by its top practitioners. The presentations covered seven themes—Blitzscale (explosive growth), M&A, business succession, DX strategy, and talent-first approaches—revealing cutting-edge M&A expertise.

Seven individuals introduced as the next generation of leadership at Japan M&A Center. (Image: Capture from introduction video)

Part 2 introduced the seven members of Japan M&A Center's next-generation management team. Declaring fiscal year 2021 as the "Second Founding Year," they shared their individual missions and visions under the keyword "Exceed (Surpass yesterday's self?)."

Stating that "being a pioneer in the M&A industry means we must constantly challenge ourselves," the next-generation leadership concretely introduced their vision for the next 10 to 20 years, including expansion into Asia, fund business concepts, and promoting industry-specific M&A. They declared, "As a comprehensive M&A firm bringing together professionals, we aim for further leaps even after 30 years."

Scene from the "Japan M&A Center 30th Anniversary Startup Pitch" awards ceremony.

The conference also featured the "Japan M&A Center 30th Anniversary Startup Pitch" awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding entrepreneurs from startups poised to lead Japan's next-generation economy. In this third iteration of the pitch event, OpenLogi won the top "GOLD" award from approximately 2,000 participating companies. MANABIE INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LIMITED and HOMMA Group received the "SILVER" award, with a total of 15 startups honored.

In recent years, more startups are opting for M&A rather than IPOs as their exit strategy, and the Japan M&A Center is strengthening its support for startups.

(From left) Shinichi Maeda, Executive Officer, Dentsu Inc.; Tsuneo Watanabe, Director, Japan M&A Center; Taku Miyake, President and Representative Director, Japan M&A Center; Hiroshi Igarashi, President and Representative Director, Dentsu Inc.

For Japan to emerge from its "lost 30 years" and achieve economic recovery, leveraging M&A has become indispensable for all companies—startups, SMEs, and large corporations alike. The conference consistently emphasized the importance of M&A. President and CEO Taku Miyake stated, "Japan M&A Center aims to continue saving Japan, facing population decline, through business succession and M&A."

About Japan M&A Center:
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in April 2021, Japan M&A Center is a leading M&A intermediary. Guided by the management philosophy of "contributing to the survival and growth of companies through M&A services," it has supported over 7,000 M&A transactions since its founding.

For the full overview of the 30th Anniversary Event "M&A Conference 2021," click here.

For details on the collaboration between Japan M&A Center and Dentsu Inc., please see here.