Policy & Regulatory Affairs
We provide end-to-end support for policy and regulatory affairs in Japan, including analysis of policy and regulatory developments and their implications for the business, policy and rulemaking strategy, building the organization to carry it out, and dialogue and proposals with policymakers.
Understanding policy and regulatory changes, their impact on the business, and how to respond
We provide the information and issues that management decisions require: an analysis of policy and regulatory developments and their implications for the business, and the options and priorities for responding.
Finding a way to resolve the regulatory issues facing a new business
We build a strategy for making the business possible, from the use of existing frameworks to changes in how rules are administered and proposals for new rules, based on the purpose of the rules, the policy issues at stake, and the positions of those involved.
Building an organization that can sustain policy and regulatory affairs
We help define internal roles and decision-making processes and support planning to secure budget and staff. Where needed, we also arrange cooperation with other companies and establish and run industry associations.
Adding specialist knowledge and hands-on support to an existing government affairs team
We supply the expertise and practical support the team needs, from policy and regulatory research and the drafting of proposals to stakeholder dialogue and communications, sharing responsibilities with the in-house team and supporting execution.
Company and organization names and industries are withheld, and some details have been omitted.
Policy takes shape where the positions and constraints of ministries, legislators, industry associations, and experts overlap with the maturity of the debate, public opinion, and political developments. Reading this complexity, and determining what to communicate, when, to whom, and from whom, is what we call rulemaking intelligence. Drawing on specialist knowledge and extensive practical experience, we apply it to provide end-to-end support, from policy and rulemaking strategy and organization to execution.
We examine the policymaking process and the dynamics behind it, the evidence that underpins the debate, and the positions and constraints of those involved. Reading the relationship between formal procedures and actual decision-making, and weighing how far the debate has matured and where politics and public opinion are heading, we determine whom to communicate with and when. We give priority to primary sources and conduct thorough research to establish a sound basis for judgment.
We connect business objectives with social issues to build proposals that make sense as policy. We test assumptions and feasibility against the evidence and make constraints and trade-offs explicit. We set out several options, from legislative change to improvements in how rules are administered, and map the intended outcome and the path to it.
We put in place the internal organization and external partnerships needed to carry the strategy through over time. Our support ranges from setting up a policy and regulatory affairs function and creating the mechanisms that support management decisions to establishing and running industry associations with companies that share the same issues.
We build cooperation among companies around shared policy issues and support everything from designing and establishing the association to consolidating proposals and running the secretariat.
We help brief management, secure budget and staff, define the roles of the departments involved, and set up reporting and decision-making processes, so that the work can continue on a sustained basis.
We handle dialogue with ministries, local governments, and legislators, place issues on the agenda of study groups and similar forums, and prepare policy proposals, position papers, and public comment submissions. We feed the responses and new information gained through dialogue back into our analysis and update the strategy as the situation develops, moving the work toward a result.
We assemble a team according to the issues involved. A project lead is responsible for managing the engagement and the quality of the deliverables.
We generally work on a monthly retainer, and propose the scope and terms according to the issues and the support required.
How can changes in technology and business models contribute to the healthy development of industries and markets in Japan? We develop an overall industrial policy vision and consider how changes to individual rules and voluntary industry initiatives can work together to support new value creation and public trust.
Within institutional frameworks built around service provision by businesses, how can a market that includes diverse providers, including individuals, grow while earning the trust of users and local communities? As these providers bring distinctive services to market, we consider user protection that reflects actual transactions and risks, and a business environment that enables growth in harmony with local communities.
How should the roles and responsibilities of developers, providers, and operators be defined so that robots and AI that make decisions and act autonomously can gain wider adoption as trusted products? We examine policies that create an environment in which these technologies can be adopted and used with confidence, contributing to industrial competitiveness and productivity.
How can users be protected and a level playing field maintained between domestic and foreign providers of cross-border services? Alongside international regulatory consistency and supervision and enforcement mechanisms, we examine policies that encourage data use and market entry and support market growth.
How can platforms and the businesses operating on them grow together? Taking account of their respective roles in transaction transparency, fairness, and user protection, we examine governance that supports new entrants and the development of diverse services.
We prepare the information needed to consider policies and projects and support evidence-based decisions.
Depending on the issues a public-sector organization faces, we take on the whole process, from preparing data and information through analysis to producing materials for deliberation, and support discussion among those involved on a shared basis of evidence.
We collect and organize the data the purpose requires and build a foundation that can be used for comparison, verification, and ongoing updating and analysis.
We identify current conditions and trends from the data and compare policy options. We also make the assumptions and limits of the analysis clear and organize the issues that matter for the decision.
We compile the findings into reports and briefing materials suited to the purpose of the deliberation, in a form that supports discussion among those involved and further verification.
Our services, areas of expertise, and how we run projects, in a single guide. Available in Japanese only.
Contact