Japanese-Speaking Finance Accountant

Denova Consulting

4d•Remote

About The Position

We are looking for a Finance Accountant who is equally comfortable working in Japanese and English to join our client’s finance team. This is a hands-on role at the centre of client’s day-to-day accounting: you will own a defined part of the month-end close, keep the ledgers clean and reconciled, and act as the finance point of contact for our Japanese-language stakeholders — whether that means suppliers, clients, auditors or colleagues in the Japan business. Because much of the source documentation, correspondence and local reporting is in Japanese, native or near-native Japanese is essential to the role rather than a nice-to-have.

Requirements

Native or near-native written and spoken Japanese - mandatory
Fluent in English (verbal and written) - mandatory
Around 3–5 years of accounting experience covering month-end close, reconciliations and transactional finance.
Part-qualified or qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA, CPA, 日商簿記 2級 or above, or equivalent), or qualified by experience with a demonstrable track record.
Sound understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and core accounting principles.
Strong Excel skills — pivot tables, lookups, large-volume data handling and reconciliation techniques.
Experience with an accounting system such as Sage and / or Oracle Fusion
Accuracy and attention to detail, with the discipline to reconcile properly rather than round off.
Proven ability to work independently and manage deadlines in a remote or distributed team.
Clear written communication — in a remote role, most of your work is handed over in writing.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end accounts payable cycle: process supplier invoices, match to purchase orders and receipts, and resolve exceptions.
Handle Japanese-language invoices, credit notes and supplier correspondence, including 請求書 and qualified-invoice (インボイス制度) requirements.
Manage the AP inbox and act as first point of contact for supplier queries in Japanese and English, chasing missing documentation and clearing aged items.
Prepare and execute payment runs, ensuring correct bank details, currency, withholding tax and payment terms.
Reconcile supplier statements and the AP sub-ledger to the general ledger, investigating and clearing differences.
Prepare and post month-end journals — accruals, prepayments, provisions — and support a timely close.
Own the reconciliation of assigned balance sheet accounts, including bank, intercompany and accrued expenses.
Maintain the general ledger and ensure transactions are coded accurately and consistently.
Prepare monthly management reporting packs with variance commentary.
Support cash management: payment forecasting, bank postings and short-term cashflow reporting.
Act as the finance team's Japanese-language interface with suppliers, banks, tax agents and the Japan-based team.