Japanese companies have long eyed the United States as a critical growth market, but the path from Tokyo boardrooms to American stock exchanges is rarely straightforward. Market entrants frequently underestimate the weight of U.S. financial regulations, often arriving without the internal infrastructure needed to satisfy auditors, regulators, or investors. The result, according to finance professional and commentator Sayaka Ohshima, is that even promising firms risk tripping over avoidable accounting and governance hurdles.
“Cross-border accounting isn’t paperwork — it’s strategy,” Ohshima says. “Without credible U.S. GAAP foundations, companies make poor decisions, delay deals, and lose trust with investors.” Having worked in U.S. public accounting and auditing across industries from technology to real estate, she has seen firsthand how gaps in internal controls or weak compliance systems can derail expansion efforts.
Her perspective highlights a broader structural challenge: Japanese firms often assume their domestic auditors can manage U.S. reporting requirements, overlooking the independence rules that govern American auditors. When those assumptions fail, companies find themselves scrambling to establish reliable financial reporting from scratch. The cost is not only monetary, but strategic — missteps in accounting can ripple into negotiations, governance credibility, and capital access.
For Ohshima, who also contributes analyses to The Diplomat, Asia Times, and Data Driven Investor, these are not abstract concerns but recurring patterns. She frequently draws attention to the way seemingly technical issues — revenue recognition, internal controls, or disclosure language — become decisive business variables in an environment shaped by policy, trade, and market volatility.
Her dual role as both practitioner and commentator reflects an emerging demand for professionals who can bridge practice with perspective. The U.S.–Japan business corridor is more than a trade relationship; it is a living case study of how global policy decisions affect corporate performance. Ohshima’s recently accepted study in the Journal of Applied Business and Economics examined the Inflation Reduction Act’s effects on hydrogen fuel cell companies, offering an example of how policy incentives intersect with accounting rigor. “Policy tailwinds are firm-specific,” she notes. “Subsidies only work when companies also show cost discipline and credible profitability paths.”
Executives and investors have reason to take note. Japan’s push for energy transition, coupled with the United States’ aggressive clean-energy subsidies, underscores how financial outcomes now hinge on governance strength and operational execution. Firms that treat policy incentives as guarantees risk investor skepticism, while those that align financial discipline with macro trends are rewarded.
Ohshima’s career trajectory further illustrates this evolution in business expectations. In addition to her audit and research work, she has served as a judge for international competitions such as the Stevie Awards and the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference, roles that require evaluating business strategies, financial acumen, and corporate impact. These appointments not only validate her expertise but also reflect the growing recognition that global business success depends on cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary literacy.
The lessons she draws from these experiences are pragmatic. Governance, she argues, is no longer a chore but a growth driver, lowering the “trust tax” that drags on valuations. Diversity in finance is not a slogan but a profitability factor, with measurable impact on productivity and investor confidence. And in cross-border finance, the difference between success and failure lies in preparation. “Tariffs, exchange rates, and trade shocks can’t be treated as afterthoughts,” she says. “They belong in the CFO’s playbook, complete with what-if scenarios and disclosure language.”
The broader industry context confirms her point. Japanese firms remain some of the largest foreign investors in U.S. markets, with holdings in U.S. Treasuries exceeding $1 trillion. Yet symbolic shifts, such as California’s economy surpassing Japan’s in size, signal deeper structural challenges in demographics, innovation, and competitiveness. For companies navigating this terrain, the combination of strong financial governance and cross-border fluency is not just about compliance but survival.
In that sense, Ohshima represents a new breed of finance professional: one who combines technical audit experience with policy insight and cultural perspective, and who uses publishing as a tool to make these issues accessible. Her work illustrates how individuals can shape the dialogue between nations not through high-level diplomacy, but by connecting boardroom decisions with macroeconomic realities.
As U.S.–Japan business relations evolve, the demand for clarity at the intersection of finance, governance, and policy will only grow. And professionals like Sayaka Ohshima are showing that the most competitive firms will be those that recognize accounting not as a back-office function, but as the front line of strategy.
