Research

ASAX: Tokyo real-estate-secured lender with a large affiliated holder

ASAX CO., LTD. (8772) · Initiated coverage 2026-10-20 · Beluuga AI Research Team · Independent research

Not investment advice or a solicitation. See Important disclosures below.

Business overview

  • ASAX makes real-estate-secured loans for business and other purposes, mainly to business borrowers and to individuals. Its stores are concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and it operates from six locations in Tokyo, Kanagawa and California.
  • It also guarantees real-estate-secured loans made by financial institutions, leases income property it acquires, and buys and sells property to recover loans. The company reports a single segment, real-estate-secured lending, because the other businesses are not material.
  • The company states that its loans run for roughly one to five years. It says most collateral is residential property, some is income property, and it generally does not lend against commercial, large or special-purpose property. Every loan in the book is secured by real estate.
  • The group consists of ASAX, a consolidated US subsidiary (ASAX America, Inc., a real estate business in California), an unconsolidated property subsidiary, and one affiliated shareholder. It had 59 employees at March 31, 2026.

Investment case

  1. The annual securities report for the year to March 2026 shows no loan write-offs in any of the five fiscal years to March 2026. Over the same period, the loan-loss allowance rose in step with the growing loan book (see Performance & Balance).
  2. The company states a policy of keeping a low-cost operation with few defaults in both good and bad conditions. It says it monitors loans after origination by revaluing the collateral.
  3. The first-quarter earnings release for the year to March 2027 attributes higher loan interest income to a larger average loan balance and a higher average lending rate. Operating expenses other than funding costs were nearly flat.
  4. Retained earnings make up most of net assets (see Performance & Balance). The articles let the board decide dividends and buy back shares without a shareholders' meeting resolution.

Bear case

  1. Loan growth is funded with borrowed money. In the year to March 2026, operating cash flow was negative because the increase in loans exceeded pretax profit, and the gap was covered by a net increase in long-term bank borrowing (see Performance & Balance).
  2. Funding comes entirely from bank and other institutional borrowing, including securitization borrowing, with no bonds or commercial paper. The first-quarter release states that financial costs rose because both average borrowings and the average funding rate increased.
  3. Some borrowings carry financial covenants. The company states that a breach would make those loans repayable in full immediately.
  4. The company applies a single year-end dividend with no interim payment and forecasts the same per-share dividend for the year to March 2027 as for the prior year. Readers can compare the payout with the growth in retained earnings on Performance & Balance.

Catalysts

  • Second-quarter results for the six months to September 2026, measured against the full-year forecast for the year to March 2027. That forecast was published on May 13, 2026 and left unchanged in the first-quarter release.
  • The year-end dividend for the year to March 2027, which the company currently forecasts at the same per-share level as the prior year.
  • Development of ASAX America, Inc. The board decided a capital increase for a subsidiary during the year to March 2026, and part of the group's tangible fixed assets are in the United States.

Key risks

  • Real estate market risk: the company states that a fall in property prices would reduce new lending, leave more loans under-collateralized and raise delinquencies.
  • Regulatory risk: the lending business requires registration under the Money Lending Business Act, renewed every three years. Violations can lead to suspension or cancellation of that registration, and further cuts to the statutory interest-rate caps would affect results.
  • Funding and interest-rate risk: the company states that instability in financial markets or a sharp rise in market rates could raise funding costs or make funding hard to obtain.
  • Control and governance: Flexible Co., Ltd., a company that holds and trades securities, is classified as an affiliated company holding voting rights in ASAX and shares officers with it. The chairman and president are both representative directors and appear among the major shareholders alongside other individuals with their family name (see Shareholders).

Trading liquidity

Median daily trading value US$0.04mn
Average daily volume 9,146 shares

2025-10-01 to 2026-10-19 (250 trading days). Trading value is daily closing price × daily volume on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Assumptions

  • Financial figures on this page come from beluuga.ai's daily data set; trading liquidity is measured over the period shown. We do not use consensus estimates.
  • ASAX began preparing consolidated financial statements in the year to March 2026 and quarterly consolidated statements from the first quarter of that year. Figures for earlier years on Performance & Balance may therefore be on a non-consolidated basis and not directly comparable.
  • The first-quarter consolidated statements were not reviewed by an auditor. Non-operating items in that quarter were driven by foreign exchange and derivative valuation gains and losses, which can reverse.
  • Qualitative statements are taken from the annual securities report for the year to March 2026, filed June 23, 2026, and the first-quarter earnings release for the year to March 2027, filed August 6, 2026.

This is independent research. No company paid for or reviewed it. We do not publish ratings, price targets or buy/sell views. Figures on the other slides of this page come from beluuga.ai's daily data set.

Important disclosures

No offer or solicitation. This material is provided for information purposes only. It is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or other financial instrument in the United States or in any other jurisdiction, and it is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. It is not directed at, and may not be relied on by, any person in any jurisdiction where its publication or availability would be contrary to law or regulation.

Not investment advice. This material is general and impersonal. It does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any reader, and it is not tailored to any person. It is published to all readers on the same terms and on a regular basis, and no reader receives advice on the merits of any security for their own account. Readers should make their own independent decisions and consult their own legal, tax, accounting and investment advisers before making any investment.

Regulatory status. Beluuga AI, Inc. is not registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or any state securities authority as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, is not registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is not a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). It is not registered as a Financial Instruments Business Operator under Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. This material is not a research report prepared by a FINRA member firm and is not subject to FINRA Rule 2241, Regulation Analyst Certification (Regulation AC) or the other U.S. rules that govern broker-dealer research. The SEC, FINRA and the Financial Services Agency of Japan have not reviewed, approved or passed on the merits or accuracy of this material.

European Union and European Economic Area. Beluuga AI, Inc. is not authorised or supervised by any national competent authority in the European Union or the European Economic Area, including under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II). This material is not investment advice, a personal recommendation or investment research within the meaning of MiFID II, and it is not a prospectus or other offering document under the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. It has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation) for investment recommendations and is not intended to be relied on as one.

United Kingdom. Beluuga AI, Inc. is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This material has not been approved by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and is not intended as an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity.

Singapore. Beluuga AI, Inc. does not hold a capital markets services licence under the Securities and Futures Act 2001 or a financial adviser's licence under the Financial Advisers Act 2001, and is not regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). This material is not an offer or invitation for subscription or purchase of securities, has not been registered as a prospectus with the MAS, and is not advice on investment products within the meaning of the Financial Advisers Act 2001.

Other jurisdictions. Beluuga AI, Inc. is not licensed or registered to provide investment advice or dealing services in any jurisdiction. Readers are responsible for complying with the laws and regulations that apply to them where they are located.

Securities of Japanese issuers. The securities discussed are issued by companies incorporated in Japan and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. They may not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, and the issuers may not be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Information about these issuers may be less extensive than information about U.S. issuers, and their financial statements are prepared under Japanese GAAP, IFRS or U.S. GAAP as each issuer elects. U.S. persons may face restrictions, tax consequences and practical limits on buying, holding or selling these securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve risks that include currency movements, lower trading liquidity, and differences in market practice, corporate governance and legal protection.

Currency. Amounts shown in US$ are converted from Japanese yen at a mid-market rate for convenience only. They are not the amounts an investor would receive, and changes in exchange rates may cause the value of a yen-denominated investment to fall in US$ terms even if its value in yen does not.

Sources, accuracy and forward-looking statements. This material is based on the issuers' public disclosure documents and on market data, and it was prepared with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by the Beluuga AI Research Team. We believe the sources to be reliable but do not guarantee that the information is accurate, complete or current, and the material may contain errors. Statements about the future, including catalysts and risks, are assumptions and are not guarantees; actual results may differ materially. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The material speaks only as of its date, and we have no obligation to update it. Where the issuer's original disclosure is in Japanese, the Japanese original prevails over any English description given here.

Interests. Beluuga AI, Inc., its affiliates, and their officers and employees may hold, buy or sell securities of the companies discussed, and may provide services to those companies or to other parties with interests in them. Where a company paid for the research, this is stated at the top of this page and above.

Limitation of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Beluuga AI, Inc. nor its affiliates accept any liability for any loss arising from the use of this material or its contents. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent, except through the share functions on this page.

Overview
Other Financing Business

ASAX CO.,LTD.

ASAX Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-based non-bank financial institution specializing in real estate-collateralized business loans primarily targeting self-employed individuals and small business owners. The company's core business is providing secured lending using real estate as collateral, complemented by credit guarantee services for financial institutions, as well as real estate leasing and property sales activities. ASAX operates as a single reporting segment under its real estate-secured loan business, leveraging its long-standing lending expertise and collateral-focused underwriting as key competitive strengths.

Market Cap
¥29.2B
US$186M
EV
¥—B
Stock¥884▲+0.11%
US$1 = ¥157.05 (2026-10-22)
ROE
8.1%
* LTM NI / end-of-period equity
PBR
0.5
x
Stock vs TOPIX (1Y, base=100)vs TOPIX ▼-16.0%pt
100123
Oct 22, 25 – Oct 22, 26StockTOPIX
1Nov 26, 25Interim results, guidance upgrade
2Apr 1, 26Earnings release and guidance downgrade
3Aug 7, 26Q1 FY2027/03 earnings announced
AI Briefing
Generating insights…
Performance & Balance
Revenue 5Y (¥B)
5.65US$36.0M'22/36.18US$39.4M'23/36.75US$43.0M'24/37.52US$47.9M'25/38.78US$55.9M'26/3
EBITDA 5Y (¥B)
3.89US$24.8M'22/34.33US$27.6M'23/34.83US$30.7M'24/35.30US$33.8M'25/35.96US$38.0M'26/3
Net Income 5Y (¥B)
2.54US$16.2M'22/32.80US$17.8M'23/33.29US$20.9M'24/33.39US$21.6M'25/33.95US$25.1M'26/3
Capital Structure
41%
59%
EquityD/E 1.44xDebt
Liquidity vs Debt 5Y (¥B)▼ Net Debt
CashInv. Sec.Debt
3.63US$23.1M40.3US$257M'22/36.35US$40.4M55.1US$351M'23/35.47US$34.8M60.5US$386M'24/35.17US$32.9M66.4US$423M'25/38.11US$51.6M74.4US$474M'26/3
Shareholders
Top 10 hold 85.5%
1
Flexible Co., Ltd.
34.55%
2
Tsunefumi KUSAMA
28.50%
3
HIKARI TSUSHIN,INC.
7.51%
4
UH Partners 2 Co., Ltd.
6.04%
5
Shuhei MOROFUJI
2.80%
6
Sanwa Co., Ltd.
2.34%
7
Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account)
1.60%
8
Yasuko KUSAMA
0.82%
9
Yuko KUSAMA
0.68%
10
Yusuke KUSAMA
0.68%
Management
7 officers
Tsunefumi KUSAMA
Representative Director, Chairman
Apr 1973 Joined Yasuda Mutual Life Insurance Company Sep 1974 Director, the Company Sep 1975 Joined Sanwa Jutaku Co., Ltd. (current: Sanwa Co., Ltd.) Nov 1981 Director, Sanwa Jutaku Co., Ltd. Jan 1993 Representative Director, Sanwa Jutaku Co., Ltd. May 1994 Representative Director, President, the Company Nov 2005 Resigned as Representative Director, Sanwa Jutaku Co., Ltd. (current: Sanwa Co., Ltd.); assumed office as Director Nov 2007 Resigned as Director, Sanwa Co., Ltd. Jun 2020 Representative Director, Chairman, the Company (current)
1949-09-26
Yusuke KUSAMA
Representative Director, President and Head of Examination Department
Apr 2008 Joined ORIX Corporation Apr 2008 Director, Flexible Co., Ltd. Mar 2013 Joined the Company May 2015 Director, the Company; Head of Examination Department and in charge of Administration Division Jun 2017 Managing Director, the Company; Head of Examination Department and in charge of Administration Division Jun 2020 Representative Director, President and Head of Examination Department, the Company (current) Mar 2023 Representative Director, Flexible Co., Ltd. (current) May 2023 President, ASAX America, Inc. (current)
1985-05-09
Shuhei IKEJIRI
Director, General Manager of Sales Division
Mar 2002 Joined the Company Feb 2008 Ginza Branch Manager, the Company Feb 2010 Sales Section Manager, Head Office, the Company May 2016 General Manager, Head Office Sales Department, the Company Jun 2016 Director, General Manager of Sales Division, the Company Jun 2020 Director, General Manager of Sales Division and in charge of Administration Division, the Company Jun 2024 Director, General Manager of Sales Division, the Company (current)
1978-06-20
Kazunari KOBAYASHI
Director, in charge of Administration Division
Mar 2003 Joined the Company Jan 2019 Ginza Branch Manager, the Company May 2020 General Manager, General Affairs Division, the Company Apr 2022 General Manager, Head Office Sales Department, the Company Jul 2023 Shinjuku Branch Manager, the Company Jun 2024 Director, in charge of Administration Division, the Company (current)
1981-02-17
Ryuichi NARITA
Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Apr 1995 Joined Yasuda Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. (current: Mizuho Trust & Banking Co., Ltd.) Jul 1998 Seconded to Ministry of Construction (current: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) Jun 2000 Returned to Yasuda Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. Apr 2001 Joined PricewaterhouseCoopers Financial Advisory Services Co., Ltd. (current: PwC Advisory LLC) Nov 2002 Joined Ethos Japan LLC Jun 2004 Director and COO, Yoshimura Sogo Keikaku Kantei Co., Ltd. Aug 2007 Established Flocke Advisory Co., Ltd.; Representative Director, President (current) Oct 2008 Partner, Tokiwa United Partners LLP (current) Mar 2013 Outside Director, JBS Facilities Co., Ltd. (current) Dec 2013 External Member, Investment Committee, SG Asset Max Co., Ltd. (current) Jun 2019 Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member), the Company (current)
1971-04-19
Toshiyuki TERAMOTO
Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Apr 1981 Joined Mitsui Bank, Ltd. (current: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) Apr 2008 Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Apr 2011 Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Apr 2014 Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Apr 2015 Senior Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. Jun 2015 Director, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. Apr 2016 Director, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Jun 2016 Standing Audit & Supervisory Board Member, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.; Audit & Supervisory Board Member, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Jun 2017 Director, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. Jun 2019 Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Hourai Co., Ltd. Dec 2019 Representative Director, President, Hourai Co., Ltd. Mar 2024 Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member), Toagosei Co., Ltd. (current) Oct 2024 Representative Director, Chairman and CEO, Hourai Co., Ltd. (current) Jun 2025 Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member), the Company (current)
1958-09-15
Hiroki MACHIDA
Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Oct 2004 Registered as Attorney-at-Law Oct 2004 Joined Akasaka City Law Office Apr 2013 Examiner, Building Management Qualification Examination (current) Aug 2018 Opened Nishimura & Machida Law Office (current) Jun 2026 Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member), the Company (current)
1974-04-10
Large Shareholding Reports
Flexible Co., Ltd.
2026-10-16
34.55%→34.55%
Annual report (as of 2026-03-31): 34.55%
Flexible Co., Ltd.
2026-10-06
34.55%→34.55%
Annual report (as of 2026-03-31): 34.55%
Koutsushin Co., Ltd.
2026-09-28
7.51%→7.51%
Annual report (as of 2026-03-31): 7.51%
Flexible Co., Ltd.
2026-01-15
34.55%→34.55%
Annual report (as of 2026-03-31): 34.55%
Disclosures
No disclosures
Primary Source Filings
EDINET
2026-10-16
Large Shareholding Report
EDINET
2026-10-06
Large Shareholding Report
EDINET
2026-09-28
Large Shareholding Report
TDnet
2026-08-06
Q1 Earnings Flash
FY ending Mar 2027
EDINET
2026-06-23
Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2025 – Mar 2026
TDnet
2026-02-05
Q3 Earnings Flash
FY ending Mar 2026
EDINET
2026-01-15
Large Shareholding Report
EDINET
2025-11-12
Semi-Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2025 – Mar 2026
TDnet
2025-08-07
Q1 Earnings Flash
FY ending Mar 2026
EDINET
2025-06-24
Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2024 – Mar 2025
TDnet
2025-02-04
Q3 Earnings Flash
FY ending Mar 2025
EDINET
2024-11-08
Semi-Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2024 – Mar 2025
TDnet
2024-08-05
Q1 Earnings Flash
FY ending Mar 2025
EDINET
2024-06-26
Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2023 – Mar 2024
EDINET
2024-02-02
Quarterly Securities Report
Period: Oct 2023 – Dec 2023
EDINET
2023-11-06
Quarterly Securities Report
Period: Jul 2023 – Sep 2023
EDINET
2023-08-04
Quarterly Securities Report
Period: Apr 2023 – Jun 2023
EDINET
2023-06-29
Annual Securities Report
Period: Apr 2022 – Mar 2023
EDINET
2023-02-03
Quarterly Securities Report
Period: Oct 2022 – Dec 2022
EDINET
2022-11-01
Quarterly Securities Report
EDINET
2022-08-02
Quarterly Securities Report
EDINET
2022-06-28
Annual Securities Report
EDINET
2022-02-04
Quarterly Securities Report
EDINET
2021-11-01
Quarterly Securities Report
EDINET
2021-08-02
Quarterly Securities Report
EDINET
2021-06-29
Annual Securities Report
EDINET
2021-02-05
Quarterly Securities Report
Ask AI
I have this company's financials, ownership, and management on hand. Ask me anything from an M&A perspective.
End of Preview

Try the full product

Free demo (no time limit, up to 10 companies). Explore Comps, DCF, LBO, WACC on every screen. Excel export is on the paid plan.

Free Demo (No Time Limit, 10 Companies) →