Ocean takes Global Brain funding for Japan's switch to tax-free refunds

Ocean takes Global Brain funding for Japan's switch to tax-free refunds

9 October 2026: Ocean, a Tokyo start-up building software for Japan's new tax-free shopping rules, has taken investment from KURONEKO Innovation Fund 2, a fund run by the venture firm Global Brain with Yamato Holdings as its limited partner. Global Brain announced the investment on 9 October without giving the amount or the stage of the round.

Not yet independently verified. The amount and round stage are not disclosed. The November 2026 switch to refunds at departure is stated in the investor's release; we have not read the National Tax Agency's own notice. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

The timing comes from a rule change. According to Global Brain's release, Japan's tax-free system moves in November 2026 from exemption at the point of purchase to a refund method, under which visitors are repaid when they leave the country. Every tax-free shop in Japan has to put new systems and procedures in place for that switch.

Ocean's product, Ocean Tax Refund, is a tax-free platform built for the refund method. The release says Ocean plans to offer retailers more efficient refund operations, along with multilingual support for visitors and guidance on payment methods, and to grow into an inbound marketing platform that uses purchase data. The wording is future tense throughout, so the platform is still being rolled out.

Ocean was founded in May 2024 and is based in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Global Brain says it backed the company for its management team's grasp of the market, the timing against the tax reform and room to expand in inbound tourism. It also plans to explore shared knowledge with Yamato Holdings, the parcel delivery group, in that market. The fund's registered total is 8 billion yen, a figure that describes the fund, not this investment.

Our sales tax software category lists 15 products and our retail POS system software category lists 19.

Ocean's own site describes its business as tax-free systems, digitised tax-free procedures and support for attracting overseas visitors, built for the new refund method.

Company profile on TrustList: Ocean Inc.

Related on TrustList:

• Pakistan: retailers’ fixed-tax scheme returns are due by 15 October 2026, with monthly penalties after, as FBR maps markets and checks returns with AI

Sources

• Global Brain (PR TIMES): KIF2 invests in Ocean, provider of a refund-type tax-free platform and inbound marketing support, 9 October 2026
• Ocean Inc. company site (read 2026-10-10), 10 October 2026