Stephen Rayment
Founder, CEO & Group Managing Director
Back in Tokyo: Supporting Japanese contractors and employers, wherever the project is
20TH OCTOBER 2026
Why Japan matters to Systech, and why our work with Japanese clients is continuing to broaden.
I’m in Tokyo this week, meeting clients past, present and future. It’s a good moment to explain why Japan matters so much to us, and how our work here is continuing to broaden.
Why Japan Matters
Japan remains one of the world’s five largest economies and has a long history as a global engineering and construction power. Japanese EPC contractors built much of the world’s energy and industrial infrastructure, and their reputation for quality and engineering discipline is well deserved.
Their overseas footprint is smaller than it was in their heyday, but the experience and the relationships remain.
We are also seeing an increasing number of enquiries from Japanese project owners and employers involved in international projects. It is a natural extension of our work: the same disciplines around planning, cost, risk and dispute avoidance matter on both sides of the project relationship.
Our track record in Japan
1995: First support to Japanese contractors, in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan
2007: Permanent presence in Japan
600+ Projects supported
60+ Countries
Systech has supported Japanese contractors since 1995, beginning in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. We have since worked on more than 600 projects in over 60 countries, and we have had a permanent presence in Japan since 2007. In Japan, we work with our partner Sumida Brokers & Consulting K.K. (SBC).
Together with SBC, we support Japanese clients wherever their projects take them. This includes contractors delivering overseas and project owners and employers investing in and managing international projects across APAC, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Europe and the Americas.
Long-term relationships
In Japan, long-term relationships matter. Ours go back to 1995, and they make us more of a partner than an adviser.
What we do
What we do is simple to describe and hard to do well. We help clients avoid disputes, manage risk and deliver on time.
Avoid disputes | Manage risk | Deliver on time
We do this through project controls on buildings, infrastructure, energy and renewables, and data centres. Good planning, cost control and early warning of problems protect both the programme and the relationship, before a disagreement becomes a dispute.
Buildings | Infrastructure | Energy & Renewables | Data centres
Our experience includes multi-billion US dollar projects in marine, aviation, power, oil and gas, chemical, nuclear and rail, including high-speed and metro.
Marine | Aviation | Power | Oil & Gas | Chemical | Nuclear | Rail: High-speed & Metro
When a dispute does arise
Legal services: Systech provides legal services from London and Sydney.
Expert witness services: Systech provides expert witness services globally.
Our people in the region
Shingo Ohno, Senior Managing Consultant
Ian Huggett, APAC Regional Managing Consultant
Our work with Japanese clients is led by Shingo Ohno and Ian Huggett. Shingo is well known to EPC contractors across Japan and is a regular speaker at OCAJI and ENAA events, where he shares practical lessons from projects around the world.
If you are a contractor, project owner, employer or adviser working on an international project in Japan or overseas, I would welcome a conversation while I am here. Please get in touch.
