Duesseldorf is often referred to as “Little Tokyo.” With the largest Japanese community in Germany, the city by the Rhine River is home to hundreds of Japanese companies and continues to attract investors from Japan.
Whether large or small, companies often find it daunting to do business in a foreign country and in a foreign language. Navigating complex taxation laws in new markets requires expert assistance.
Since the early ’80s, Kieffer Stubben & Partner mbB has helped Japanese companies establish operations in North Rhine-Westphalia and other German states by offering a full range of tax, consulting and auditing services.
“As a midsized firm, we share the same philosophy as medium-sized companies,” said Head of Japan Services Rika Diana Senft, who is an administrative lawyer in Japan and a licensed certified public accountant in the United States of America.
“We understand the increasing importance placed on people-to-people relations and offer a different approach to larger firms as we ensure clients have one singular contact person taking care of the entire process,” Senft said. “Having been located in Duesseldorf for a long time, we have established very close relations with the tax authorities and benefit from clear lines of communication.”
As head of the firm’s Japan Services, Senft speaks fluent Japanese and English and has assisted Japanese companies in Germany, as well as German companies entering the Japanese market for almost a decade.
This wealth of experience includes supporting Japanese investors as they enter the market from consultations on tax structure and planning to individual tax matters.
Consistently regarded as one of the leading tax consultancies in Germany, the firm is a member of Geneva Group International, one of 10 leading international alliances of independent audit and accounting, tax consultancy and law firms.
“Understanding the needs of our clients is paramount to our firm’s professionals ensuring we provide clients with the highest standards of services,” said Senft.
“As a midsized firm, the personal touch is critical to how we do business and we have established long-term relationships with our Japanese clients. They appreciate the extra effort we put into finding individual solutions and we will continue to take action on behalf of our clients and look after their interests.”
