Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 12 August 2026

These terms and conditions form a binding agreement between Sunset Griffin Godo Kaisha and any client engaging our advisory services. By confirming an engagement, you accept the terms set out below.

Your responsibilities

1. Provide accurate information about your product, company, and objectives when engaging our services.
2. Comply with applicable laws in your own jurisdiction when acting on findings we provide.
3. Treat written material delivered as part of an engagement as confidential unless otherwise agreed.
4. Engage in good faith during working sessions, so that scoped time is used productively.

Disclaimers and limitations

1. Findings are based on publicly available and observable market information at the time of the engagement, and are provided without warranty as to future market conditions.
2. We are not liable for business decisions made on the basis of our findings; the decision to act, or not act, remains the client's own.
3. Our liability, where it arises, is limited to the fees paid for the specific engagement in question.
4. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control, including regulatory changes made after an engagement concludes.

Governing law and disputes

1. These terms are governed by the laws of Japan.
2. Any dispute arising from an engagement will first be addressed through direct discussion between the parties before other steps are considered.
3. If any clause of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining clauses continue to apply.
4. These terms may be updated from time to time; the version in effect at the start of an engagement applies to that engagement.

How an engagement is set

Each engagement starts with a short written scope: the product, the segment, the questions to be answered, the working sessions, the delivery date and the fee. We begin only when the scope is confirmed. If the research shows that the question itself should change, for example because a certification requirement makes a route impractical, we stop and propose a revised scope rather than answering the original question at length.

What the findings are, and are not

Findings are written plainly, and sometimes they are unwelcome: a segment may be crowded, a price may not hold, a route may take longer than planned. We report what the material shows rather than what a client would prefer to hear. Findings describe conditions at the time of the engagement and are not a forecast of sales.

Local partner preparation readies a client for a first meeting. It does not include introductions, negotiation on the client's behalf, or any assurance that a distributor or agent will agree to terms.

Invoicing and cancellation

Fees are invoiced when the scope is confirmed and are payable within thirty days. If a client cancels before the first working session, half of the fee is refunded; after the first session the fee is not refundable, because the research has by then been carried out. If we cannot deliver by the agreed date for reasons on our side, the client may cancel and receive a full refund.

Court of first instance

Where discussion between the parties does not settle a dispute, it will be referred to the Osaka District Court, which has exclusive jurisdiction at first instance.

What each side keeps private

We keep a client's product information, pricing, plans and the findings themselves confidential, during the engagement and afterwards. We do not work for two companies competing for the same segment at the same time; if a second enquiry would create that conflict, we decline it without saying who the existing client is.

Clients may share the written findings within their own company and with their professional advisers. Sharing them with a prospective partner is also permitted, provided the client removes our internal notes on that partner first.

Working sessions and timing

Each engagement includes the number of working sessions stated in the scope, held by video call or at a place agreed in Osaka. Sessions can be moved with two working days' notice. A session missed without notice counts as held, because the preparation for it has been done. If the client needs the findings sooner than the agreed date, we will say whether that is possible without narrowing the research, and confirm any change in writing before relying on it.

After the final report

The final report is delivered as a document the client may keep and share internally. We remain available for one clarification call within thirty days of delivery, to answer questions about how a finding was reached.