As strange as this sounds, my wife actually found our accountant by googling. That got her to a referral service and they set up an interview with someone in o

As strange as this sounds, my wife actually found our accountant by googling. That got her to a referral service and they set up an interview with someone in our area. The account pays the referral service and offered to consult with us for an hour or so for free. Based on that, we hired him. I spent quite a long time (probably 20-30 hours) reading Japanese tax law so that I understood the basics. I also spent and equivalent (or probably longer, actually) learning dual entry accounting and practicing it. That way, when I got to speak the the accountant I had at least some idea for judging his competence. I asked to see some examples of his work and also chatted to him about his style, etc. Pretty much like any job interview ;-). It's been 3 years now, and although he was the first and only person we talked with I'm very happy with my choice. However, remember that it's a buyer's market and you do have a choice. Try to make sure that you have plenty of time to set up your company because you don't want to rush through these things. Accounting and taxes is important. Also, I would also advise not to judge primarily on price. Good accountants are worth a lot, so pay them appropriately. However, you can also get accountants that attempt some slimy practices and leave you on the hook if it all goes wrong, so make sure the person isn't over promising. Get them to show you what kinds of actions they will take. It should be pretty clear how they do things.