Ocean raises about ¥500m for Japan tax-free refund platform

Ocean raises about ¥500m for Japan tax-free refund platform

9 October 2026: Ocean, a Tokyo company that runs the Ocean Tax Refund platform for retailers and inbound tourists, has closed a Series A of about ¥500 million in total. It is building for a deadline: the company says Japan's tax-free shopping system moves from the point-of-sale method to a refund method in November 2026.

Not yet independently verified. The release does not say who led the round or how much the second close raised on its own. The company describes no AI features; it is a merchant and tourist software platform. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

The figure in the release covers the whole Series A, including the first close announced in September 2026. The company does not give the second close separately.

The investors

Two backers are named: KURONEKO Innovation Fund No. 2, managed by Global Brain, whose limited partner is Yamato Holdings, and Shizuoka Capital, part of Shizuoka Financial Group. The release does not say which of them led.

Ocean (株式会社Ocean) was founded in May 2024 and has its head office in Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Its chief executive is Ryo Hoshino. The company works in information and communications and lists its product among smartphone apps and web system development.

What the platform does

Ocean Tax Refund is a refund-type duty-free platform that connects merchants with inbound tourists. Under a refund system, a visitor pays tax at the till and claims it back afterwards, instead of the shop waiving tax at the counter. Shops therefore need a way to issue, record and process those claims, and that is the gap Ocean says it fills.

The release speaks of merchant partners across the country but names none of them, so the size of the network is not visible from this announcement.

Why the November date matters

The company ties its plans to the changeover itself. It says the funds will go into strengthening the support it gives merchants who have to move to the refund method, and into the product. In our translation of the Japanese, the company says it will use the funding to strengthen its merchant transition support and the product further.

Its stated mission, again in our translation, is to make shopping experiences for visitors to Japan more free.

A rule change with a fixed month is a short window for a young company, because every retailer that serves tourists has to choose a route before it arrives. The release gives no customer count, pricing or revenue figures to show how many have chosen Ocean so far.

What to watch

The next facts that would matter are how many merchants have signed up by the November changeover and which retail chains are among them. Neither is in the release. The company's own page is the place to look for either.

Update, 22 October 2026: Ocean's release on the first close, published on PR TIMES on 15 September, lists Z Venture Capital, Delight Ventures, Bluefin Partners, the ONE-JAPAN Tourism Fund and Dual Bridge Capital as investors. It also names no lead.

Sources

• Ocean (via PR TIMES): Series A round totalling about 500 million yen, 9 October 2026
• Ocean: first close of the Series A (PR TIMES) - 15 September 2026