My name is Paul Takaki, and I managed DeAgostini Japan K.K. for seven years. DeAgostini is an Italian publishing giant headquartered in Novara, Italy.
When I joined DeAgostini’s Japanese operation, the branch here earned $1 million in before-tax profit from $33 million in revenues. When I left DeAgostini to join United International Pictures (UIP), a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, DeAgostini Japan’s business had soared, with the company enjoying a pre-tax profit of $20 million from $120 million in revenues. With such a spike in profits, I wanted to increase the remittance amount from Japan to our Italian head office.
However, the big five accounting firms were hesitant to help, fearing retaliation by what was seen as a conservative and inflexible Japanese tax office. Hence, I asked Mr. Arai to join me in brainstorming what we could do to achieve my objective, and together we succeeded. Mr. Arai and his office supported DeAgostini Japan’s financial activities by providing accounting advice and payroll services, among other functions. He extended similar assistance during my tenure at UIP Japan and then Paramount Japan when UIP Japan was dissolved at the end of 2007.
Arai & Co. provided invaluable services to support our business growth, and I would recommend his company to anyone looking for professional financial solutions.
