Batonz Dispatches 'Regional Revitalization Volunteer' to Support Business Succession in Nagaoka City
Batonz Inc., operator of Japan's leading M&A platform, has dispatched Kazuhiro Ota as a Regional Revitalization Volunteer to Nagaoka City, Niigata. This initiative aims to provide proactive support for local businesses facing successor shortages through direct visits and management consulting.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 20:00
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BATONZ Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuichi Kamise), the operator of the M&A and business succession platform 'BATONZ', is pleased to announce that Kazuhiro Ota has taken his post as a 'Regional Revitalization Volunteer' through a recruitment partnership with Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. Going forward, he will launch full-scale proactive business succession support through site visits to business owners in Nagaoka City who are concerned about the absence of successors.
[Background and Context]
In Japan, the 'profitable closure' of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to aging management and lack of successors has become a serious social issue. Based on the vision of 'creating a society where anyone can perform M&A easily, anywhere, and freely,' BATONZ is actively engaged in public business projects in collaboration with municipalities nationwide. By cooperating with local governments, it becomes possible to deliver business succession support even to community-based companies that may have latent concerns about succession.
In Nagaoka City as well, efforts are being strengthened to prevent profitable business closures due to a lack of successors and to support management improvement triggered by business succession. BATONZ collaborated with the city to recruit personnel to promote business succession rooted in the region. We are now pleased to inform you that the Regional Revitalization Volunteer member who will play a central role in this effort has been decided and has arrived in Nagaoka City.
[Future Activity Content]
Kazuhiro Ota, who has assumed his post, will provide proactive support through business visits to business owners in Nagaoka City. In collaboration with support agencies such as the Niigata Prefecture Business Succession and Handover Support Center, he will contribute to the survival and development of regional companies not only through third-party handover (M&A) support but also through the following activities:
- Hearing of management issues and hands-on support
Broadly listen to management issues, including business succession, from business owners and act as a bridge to appropriate support agencies.
- Improvement of corporate value
Utilize national initiatives like the '10 Billion Yen Declaration' and Nagaoka City's 'Nagaoka Innovative Growth Declaration' to link to the improvement of 'earning power' and corporate value for business succession.
[Comment from Regional Revitalization Volunteer Kazuhiro Ota]
Previously, at the Niigata City Hall (Board of Education / Lagoon Environment Research Institute), I was deeply involved in regional surveys, education dissemination, and collaborative projects with local people. I have also been involved in promoting government projects and facing regional issues. In Nagaoka City, there are many attractive companies and businesses that support the region. Leveraging my experience in both public and private regional co-creation, I will broadly listen to management issues including business succession faced by business owners as a public policy support project of the city and bridge them to support agencies. I will support with all my might so that we can lead not only to handing over businesses but also to improving corporate value. To connect Nagaoka's precious businesses to the future, I will stand by business owners and accompany them carefully one by one.
BATONZ will continue to work closely with Nagaoka City and the Regional Revitalization Volunteer to promote community-based business succession.
[About BATONZ]
With the vision of 'creating a society where anyone can perform M&A easily, anywhere, and freely,' we realize the baton-touch of all companies and businesses. BATONZ is the No. 1 M&A and business succession platform in the industry in terms of the number of users, cases, and deals, by providing state-of-the-art M&A support services that combine expert support with DX.
*No. 1 in number of users, cases, and deals in the M&A platform market from FY2021 to FY2025 (including projected values). Source: Deloitte Tohmatsu MIC Economic Research Institute (published November 2025), 'Current Status and Outlook of the Domestic Business Matching Platform Market [2025 Edition]'.
[Company Profile]
Company Name: BATONZ Inc.
Location: 3-12-5 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Representative CEO: Kazuichi Kamise
Business: Planning, development, and operation of the M&A general platform 'BATONZ'; Planning, development, and operation of the recruitment service 'LANNERZ'.
Listing Market: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Code: 554A)
Established: April 2018
[Background and Context]
In Japan, the 'profitable closure' of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to aging management and lack of successors has become a serious social issue. Based on the vision of 'creating a society where anyone can perform M&A easily, anywhere, and freely,' BATONZ is actively engaged in public business projects in collaboration with municipalities nationwide. By cooperating with local governments, it becomes possible to deliver business succession support even to community-based companies that may have latent concerns about succession.
In Nagaoka City as well, efforts are being strengthened to prevent profitable business closures due to a lack of successors and to support management improvement triggered by business succession. BATONZ collaborated with the city to recruit personnel to promote business succession rooted in the region. We are now pleased to inform you that the Regional Revitalization Volunteer member who will play a central role in this effort has been decided and has arrived in Nagaoka City.
[Future Activity Content]
Kazuhiro Ota, who has assumed his post, will provide proactive support through business visits to business owners in Nagaoka City. In collaboration with support agencies such as the Niigata Prefecture Business Succession and Handover Support Center, he will contribute to the survival and development of regional companies not only through third-party handover (M&A) support but also through the following activities:
- Hearing of management issues and hands-on support
Broadly listen to management issues, including business succession, from business owners and act as a bridge to appropriate support agencies.
- Improvement of corporate value
Utilize national initiatives like the '10 Billion Yen Declaration' and Nagaoka City's 'Nagaoka Innovative Growth Declaration' to link to the improvement of 'earning power' and corporate value for business succession.
[Comment from Regional Revitalization Volunteer Kazuhiro Ota]
Previously, at the Niigata City Hall (Board of Education / Lagoon Environment Research Institute), I was deeply involved in regional surveys, education dissemination, and collaborative projects with local people. I have also been involved in promoting government projects and facing regional issues. In Nagaoka City, there are many attractive companies and businesses that support the region. Leveraging my experience in both public and private regional co-creation, I will broadly listen to management issues including business succession faced by business owners as a public policy support project of the city and bridge them to support agencies. I will support with all my might so that we can lead not only to handing over businesses but also to improving corporate value. To connect Nagaoka's precious businesses to the future, I will stand by business owners and accompany them carefully one by one.
BATONZ will continue to work closely with Nagaoka City and the Regional Revitalization Volunteer to promote community-based business succession.
[About BATONZ]
With the vision of 'creating a society where anyone can perform M&A easily, anywhere, and freely,' we realize the baton-touch of all companies and businesses. BATONZ is the No. 1 M&A and business succession platform in the industry in terms of the number of users, cases, and deals, by providing state-of-the-art M&A support services that combine expert support with DX.
*No. 1 in number of users, cases, and deals in the M&A platform market from FY2021 to FY2025 (including projected values). Source: Deloitte Tohmatsu MIC Economic Research Institute (published November 2025), 'Current Status and Outlook of the Domestic Business Matching Platform Market [2025 Edition]'.
[Company Profile]
Company Name: BATONZ Inc.
Location: 3-12-5 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Representative CEO: Kazuichi Kamise
Business: Planning, development, and operation of the M&A general platform 'BATONZ'; Planning, development, and operation of the recruitment service 'LANNERZ'.
Listing Market: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Code: 554A)
Established: April 2018