Bengo4.com

Basic Information

Stock Code
6027
Industry
Services
Category Detail
Internet Site Operations
Prefecture
Tokyo
Establishment Year
July 2005
Listing Year
December 2014
Official Website
https://corporate.bengo4.com/
TSE Information
TSE Information
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance
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Overview

Bengo4.com is an industry-leading company founded in 2005 that provides an internet legal portal and electronic contract services.

Current Situation

Bengo4.com recorded net sales of approximately 5.3 billion yen and net profit of approximately 640 million yen in the fiscal year ended March 2021, continuing its growth. Its main legal consultation site and lawyer referral service are among the largest in Japan, with about 20,000 registered lawyers. The number of companies adopting CloudSign, its electronic contract service, exceeds 140,000, boasting the top market share in the electronic contract market. The company is focusing on technology development, deploying innovative products such as an AI-based SNS flare-up risk assessment service. It is also conducting proof-of-concept experiments with public institutions to promote business efficiency through strengthened collaboration with government. Toward the late 2020s, it positions the expansion of electronic contracts and development of new legal services in untapped areas as its growth strategies. It actively disseminates information and conducts legal literacy improvement activities to enhance its social influence. It has also strengthened its governance structure through representative director changes. Moving forward, it aims for medium- to long-term revenue growth through service expansion and market growth.

Trivia

Interesting Facts

  • Domestic largest legal platform with registered lawyers reaching about half of Japan's total lawyers.
  • CloudSign is No. 1 in number of paid adopting companies in the electronic contract market.
  • Founder launched service to make law accessible after personal traffic accident experience.
  • First in Japan to confirm legal validity of electronic contracts from administrative agencies.
  • Legal consultation exchanges are made public and utilized for other users' learning.
  • Provides legal-related articles to multiple major media outlets.
  • Electronic contract proof-of-concept experiments are progressing even in domestic public offices.
  • President has appeared on TV Tokyo's popular economic program.
  • Handles online investigation and removal request services for copyright infringement measures.
  • Electronic contract transmission volume is about 2.5 times that of the industry No. 2.

Hidden Connections

  • Former founder and chairman's election to politics contributed to company recognition.
  • Achieved increased access and expanded trust through collaboration with Yahoo! JAPAN.
  • Accelerating technology development through partnerships with major domestic IT ventures.
  • TIM Co., Ltd. heavily involved as the largest shareholder.
  • Earned trust from multiple copyright-related organizations.
  • Selected as market share No. 1 in Fuji Chimera Research Institute survey.
  • Expands not only lawyers but also certified public tax accountants and other expert referral services.
  • Preempted deregulation trends in electronic contracts to lead the market.

Future Outlook

Growth Drivers

  • Expansion of electronic contracts in national and local public entities
  • Growth in service demand due to increasing legal efficiency needs
  • Promotion of business automation through AI and RPA technology introduction
  • Increase in adopting companies from SMEs' DX initiatives
  • Area expansion through collaboration with diverse experts
  • Growth in online legal consultation market
  • Tailwinds from strengthened security and compliance
  • User base expansion through enhanced information dissemination
  • Potential overseas market expansion
  • Increasing demand for cloud services in general
  • Expanding corporate investments in legal DX
  • Rising awareness of contributing to sustainable society formation

Strategic Goals

  • Achieve 70% domestic market share in electronic contract services
  • Build cloud-based legal platform
  • Realize 70% automation of legal support through AI utilization
  • Asia region business growth through overseas expansion
  • Strengthen sustainability contributions to sustainable society
  • Strengthen collaboration in diverse expert networks
  • Expand collaborations with public institutions and promote practical implementation
  • Complete diversity promotion and work style reform for employees
  • Maintain and improve user satisfaction above 90%
  • Achieve annual sales exceeding 10 billion yen

Business Segments

Lawyer and Law Firm Support

Overview
Suite of services supporting lawyers' marketing and business efficiency.
Competitiveness
Domestic top network of registered lawyers
Customers
  • Individual lawyers
  • Small law firms
  • Mid-sized law firms
  • Large law firms
  • Legal tech companies
Products
  • Paid customer acquisition service
  • Customer management tools
  • Legal consultation platform
  • Advertising placement service
  • Data analysis service

Corporate Electronic Contract Service

Overview
Corporate service that streamlines online contract electronic signatures and management.
Competitiveness
Most adopted electronic contract tool in the Japanese market
Customers
  • Small and medium enterprises
  • Large enterprises
  • Government agencies
  • Public offices
  • IT companies
  • Service industry
Products
  • CloudSign Basic Plan
  • Enterprise Plan
  • API Integration Service
  • Security Audit Compliance
  • Contract Management System

Information Provision and Media Business

Overview
Media operations connecting citizens and experts through legal information.
Competitiveness
Easy-to-understand provision of diverse legal information
Customers
  • General consumers
  • Legal experts
  • Media outlets
  • Educational institutions
Products
  • Bengo4.com News
  • Legal Article Distribution
  • Paid Article Subscriptions
  • Legal Consultation Database

Copyright Infringement Response Service

Overview
Support for addressing copyright-infringing content on the internet.
Competitiveness
High-precision service supervised by legal experts
Customers
  • Copyright holders
  • Music publishers
  • Video production companies
  • Publishers
Products
  • Online Investigation Service
  • Removal Request Agency
  • Rights Management Support

Expert Referral Service

Overview
Matching and referral business for experts such as certified public tax accountants and lawyers.
Competitiveness
Optimal expert referrals tailored to customer needs
Customers
  • Corporate legal departments
  • Small and medium enterprises
  • Sole proprietors
  • Certified public tax accountants
Products
  • Zeirishi.com
  • Expert Referrals
  • Retainer Contract Support

Public Sector Business Support

Overview
Services supporting the adoption of electronic contracts in public sectors such as government institutions.
Competitiveness
Established track record and trust in government institutions
Customers
  • Local governments
  • Public offices
  • Non-profit organizations
Products
  • Electronic Contract Proof-of-Concept Experiments
  • Government Adoption Support
  • Security Evaluation Compliance

Competitive Advantage

Strengths

  • Japan's largest lawyer network
  • Industry-leading electronic contract market share
  • Diversified legal service offerings
  • Reliable brand and recognition
  • Introduction of advanced legal tech
  • Proven collaborations with government agencies
  • Location-independent online services
  • Ability to meet diverse customer needs
  • Comprehensive customer support system
  • Information dissemination power through news media operations
  • Large number of registered users
  • Strong customer loyalty
  • Ensured legal compliance for cloud contracts
  • Robust API integration services
  • Variety of usage plans

Competitive Advantages

  • Marketing platform with the largest number of registered lawyers in Japan
  • Clear leadership in the electronic contract market with CloudSign
  • User retention through proprietary legal consultation portal and article distribution
  • Reliability from proof-of-concept to adoption in public institutions
  • Corporate customer peace of mind through legal compliance and security measures
  • Flexible adaptation to corporate operations with diverse integration functions
  • Improved customer satisfaction through comprehensive legal support services
  • Business efficiency support through utilization of latest technologies
  • Sustained expansion of nationwide legal expert network
  • Superiority based on industry recognition and trust
  • High-quality specialized information provision and content
  • Retention and expansion of registrants through enriched lawyer services
  • Diverse pricing and plans responding to market needs
  • National-level trust with ISMAP certification for CloudSign
  • Media deployment excelling in marketing and information dissemination

Threats

  • Increasing entry of competitors into electronic contract services
  • Risk of stricter usage regulations due to legal amendments
  • Decline in service demand due to lawyer oversupply
  • Growing cyber security risks
  • Changes in market needs and rapid technological advancements
  • Potential entry of overseas players into Japanese market
  • Risk of declining user satisfaction
  • Decrease in corporate contract demand due to economic fluctuations
  • Burden of complying with stricter personal information protection laws
  • Uncertainty in public demand due to changes in government policies
  • Intensifying business competition amid accelerating digitalization
  • Cross-industry entries

Innovations

2021: CloudSign LGWAN Compatibility

Overview
Electronic contract service compatible with the comprehensive administrative network.
Impact
Successfully promoted use in administrative applications.

2021: ISMAP Certification Obtained

Overview
CloudSign registered in the government information security evaluation program.
Impact
Improved reliability for government institutions and others.

2020: Registered Lawyers Exceed 20,000

Overview
Service registered lawyers reach about half of Japan's total lawyers.
Impact
Strengthened the legal expertise foundation of the service.

2020: AI-Based SNS Flare-Up Risk Assessment Service Launched

Overview
Launched function to assess SNS flare-up risk with AI before posting.
Impact
Contributed to corporate risk management support.

2021: Stamp-less Proof-of-Concept Experiment Started

Overview
Conducted proof-of-concept experiment on electronic contract effectiveness with Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Impact
Realized promotion of non-face-to-face contracts.

Sustainability

  • Promoting paper resource reduction through electronic contracts
  • Strengthening personal information protection and information security
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion
  • Supporting dissemination of legal education in local communities
  • Maintaining highly transparent governance structure