Message from CEO

International-Standard Total Service Offering

Koji Hatsukawa
CEO

With the development of economy, globalization of the financial market and the progress of borderless market, the business environment surrounding Japanese companies has changed drastically. Due to such change, business challenges faced by those companies have become increasingly diversified and complicated. Under this circumstance, as a professional service firm, in addition to providing high quality audit services, an auditing firm has a role to help those companies with scores of challenges that are undertaking a business model reform, reviewing a cost structure and addressing a new standard like IFRS while contributing to a creation of sound capital market and economic growth in Japan.

As a Japanese member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers that has network in 151 countries worldwide, Aarata has been providing international-standard services. In parallel with making the best use of our strength which is our global network, the Firm has formed the organic and collaborative structure that enables the Firm to deal with various business problems in Japan as "PwC Japan", comprised of PricewaterhouseCoopers Co., Ltd. and Zeirishi-Hojin PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Given the gravity of the trend on IFRS adoption at home and abroad, Japanese companies have decided to shift into full swing in the preparation of IFRS adoption. Implementation of IFRS is not merely a change in accounting treatment. It encourages companies to improve efficiency in business management through business process change or system change, with which companies are expected to be able to enhance its competitive edge.  For companies to capitalize on IFRS adoption to bolster their business foundation, it is vital to adequately identify characteristic features of a respective industry/type of business and challenges specific to each company and to drive forward effective and efficient projects in order to address issues strategically. To this end, Aarata has formed the structure comprised of not only with professionals who are savvy to IFRS but also subject matter experts required for solving various issues in all areas. With this, Firm is able to provide total service offering.

While enhancing our services to meet clients' needs, the Firm is actively addressing requests sought by the society to an audit firm. Aarata has made contribution through the support for sophisticating and tightening audit standards, provision of resources and specialized knowledge to deal with social challenges in terms of infrastructure for the accounting area and through an expression of our opinion. Furthermore, under the strict risk management and the advanced quality control, the Firm complies with the independence requirements and is working on audit services and businesses with a high ethical sense as a group of professionals. In addition, Aarata has been focusing on initiatives to develop resources that are indispensable to run this type of operation and also to get involved in CSR-related activities.

Aarata has set a goal to create social value through high-quality audit services and through efforts for addressing business challenges encountered by companies and is determined to strive for offering high value-added comprehensive service exploiting the collaborative structure of global network and PwC Japan.

April 2010
Koji Hatsukawa
CEO