[SME Business Succession Survey] 40% 'Have Not Started' Succession Preparation. The Reality of 'Information Gaps' Stalling Decisions and the 'Concrete Judgment Materials' Owners Truly Seek.

MA Royal Advisory Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryo Hashiba) conducted a survey on 'Priorities in Business Succession Methods and Factors Hindering Decision-Making for SME Owners' targeting SME management considering future business succession.

As many SMEs face the challenge of securing successors, business succession has become a crucial theme in long-term management.

While options for succession—such as within the family, to employees, or M&A to third parties—are expanding, many companies remain uncertain about the best method for their business, leading to stalled deliberations.

[Survey Period] May 1, 2026 (Fri) – May 2, 2026 (Sat) [Survey Method] Internet survey via PRIZMA [Survey Size] 1,002 participants

About 70% of Owners View Succession as a Key Challenge When asked if business succession is a high priority among management challenges, about 70% answered 'very high' or 'somewhat high.' However, even those who feel it is a priority often do not treat it as an 'immediate task.'

The Reality Where Preparation Stalls Even with Successors While about 60% of companies have identified successors (including candidates), the survey revealed that among those who have 'not started any preparations,' about 40% are owners who actually have succession candidates. The assumption that 'having a candidate means being prepared' does not hold, suggesting that a lack of concrete information is stalling the process.

Choices for Succession Methods 'Family succession' is the top choice at 36.7%, but there is growing demand for options beyond traditional family succession, including employee takeovers and M&A.