WillItSurvive
Financial data and information services · Japan

Teikoku Databank

tdb.co.jp ↗

126-year-old Japanese firm producing credit reports on companies via field researchers.

Hard to displace
Assessed 25 July 2026 · Evidence as of 25 July 2026
Strong structural protection; the business model survives ai pressure.
On the recordSince 25 July 2026 · Checkable from late 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: TDB FY2026 annual results and bankruptcy statistics release
The call

TDB sits inside a two-firm market held together by decades of bank and government trust, with automated data challengers still years from bank-grade credibility.

Teikoku Databank tells banks and companies whether other businesses are safe to do deals with. It does this by sending 1,700 researchers to meet company owners and managers face-to-face, then writes reports that become the standard everyone relies on. Dun & Bradstreet, the global credit giant, cannot compete directly in Japan because it already partners with a rival firm there. Newer AI tools that scrape company data from the internet could eventually become good enough to replace some of what Teikoku does, but no one has shipped a working alternative yet. The real question is whether Teikoku can turn its personal interview data into smarter computer predictions before web-based competitors get good enough to serve banks at lower cost within the next few years.

Why
01
AI pressure: Unnamed automated web-crawlers using Japan's Corporate Number registry. Crawlers can scrape public registry data cheaply, but can't replicate TDB's interview-based management assessments yet. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.
02
Bigger players: Tokyo Shoko Research (backed by Dun & Bradstreet's global network). TSR already competes head-on as Japan's other major credit bureau, splitting the market with TDB in a long-running duopoly. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.
03
What protects it. 1,700 field researchers doing door-to-door interviews banks and government treat as the trusted, non-replicable source.
What would change this call
A named, funded automated web-crawling firm wins a bank or government contract from TDB. Would show the commodity layer of TDB's business is being displaced by automation.
TDB's operating margin falls below roughly 18% for two consecutive fiscal years. Would indicate pricing or cost pressure eroding TDB's economics despite revenue growth.
TDB launches (or delays past 2027) AI-native predictive analytics products from its DEML center. Would show whether TDB can convert its data moat into new revenue before crawlers commoditize the base layer.
Key numbers
  • FY2025 net sales ¥58.302 billion (2025-09-30)
  • ~1,700 field researchers company-wide (2026-03-05)
  • 2025 bankruptcies topped 10,000 for first time in 12 years (2025-12-31)
Named risks
  • Unnamed automated crawler-based competitors could commoditize the base company-data layer over time. Severity: medium
  • Historical regulatory scrutiny: 2017 METI request to FTC over Consumption Tax Pass-On Act violations. Severity: low
  • Recurring social media campaigns urging companies to refuse TDB information requests. Severity: low
  • Conflicting public reports on CEO's given name suggest minor governance transparency gaps. Severity: low
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
Tokyo Shoko ResearchcontestingDuopoly rival founded 1892, part of D&B Worldwide Network as of 2025-03-30
Dun and BradstreetcontestingReaches Japan only indirectly via TSR partnership, structurally barred from direct entry
Unnamed automated web-crawling data providersgaining onCan build multi-million-company databases using Corporate Number registry in a single day, per 2026-03-23 analysis
Questions people ask
Is Teikoku Databank profitable?
Yes. For fiscal year ended September 2025, Teikoku Databank reported consolidated net sales of ¥58.302 billion, operating profit of ¥10.292 billion, and net profit of ¥6.825 billion, continuing a multi-year growth trend from ¥54.8 billion in FY2023.
Who owns Teikoku Databank?
Teikoku Databank is a privately held Japanese joint-stock company, not publicly listed, with paid-in capital of ¥90 million as of January 2026. It operates as an independent corporate group with no disclosed VC funding, IPO, or acquisition history.
Who is Teikoku Databank's biggest competitor?
Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR), founded in 1892 and part of the Dun and Bradstreet Worldwide Network, is Teikoku Databank's direct rival. The two firms form a long-standing duopoly dominating Japan's corporate credit-research market as of 2026.
Could AI replace Teikoku Databank?
Not easily. AI and web crawlers can replicate registry and financial-statement data quickly, but TDB's approximately 1,700 field researchers conduct proprietary in-person interviews and a 25-item executive personality assessment that automated tools cannot yet reproduce, per March 2026 industry analysis.
Is Teikoku Databank growing its revenue?
Yes, TDB's consolidated net sales rose from ¥54.8 billion in FY2023 to ¥58.302 billion in FY2025 (fiscal year ended September 30, 2025), with operating profit of ¥10.292 billion, indicating steady multi-year growth.
Is Teikoku Databank a safe company to join?
TDB's total headcount has stayed stable at roughly 3,300 employees, with its research/investigation staff holding at about 1,700 for over a decade (comparable figures in 2012 and 2026), and no evidence of recent layoffs was found.
Timeline
  • 2026-06-24TDB survey finds 34.6% of Japanese companies using generative AI, 60.4% for document drafting
  • 2026-05-06Blog post rebuts social media claims urging firms to refuse TDB data requests
  • 2026-01-31TDB reports 2025 corporate bankruptcies exceeded 10,000 for first time in 12 years
  • 2024-01TDB partners with Shiga University to launch Data Engineering and Machine Learning Center
  • 2022TDB introduces supply-chain and sales-dependency estimation data product (shoryuken)
  • 2017METI requests FTC action against TDB over alleged Consumption Tax Pass-On Act violations
  • 1987-07-13Present TDB legal entity (Teikoku Databank, Ltd.) newly incorporated
  • 1900Takeo Goto founds Teikoku Koshinsha, predecessor company to Teikoku Databank
Revision history
25 July 2026
First assessed. Hard to displace. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
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