Reasons for Field Survey

The Japanese foreign exchange market is one of the world's most important forex trading markets, boasting a long history, a mature financial system, and strict regulatory mechanisms. It holds a crucial position in the global forex market. With numerous participants and high trading activity, it is subject to strict oversight by regulatory agencies such as the Financial Services Agency of Japan, ensuring the market's standardized operation. To help investors gain a more comprehensive understanding of the actual operations of forex dealers in the region, the field research team conducted an on-site visit to Japan.

Field Survey Process

This time, the on-site inspection team traveled to Japan as planned to conduct an on-site visit to the forex broker S.J.Advisors. Publicly available information lists its office address as 1-chōme−2−18, Nihonbashikayabachō, Chuo City, Tokyo, 103-0025, Japan.

With a sense of responsibility to ensure stringent investor scrutiny, the professional and experienced inspection team, following a carefully planned visit, traveled to the Nihonbashi Kayabacho area in Chuo Ward, Tokyo. Based on the publicly available address, they conducted an on-site inspection of S.J.Advisors. The inspection team first located S.J.Advisors at 1-chome 2-18, Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo Ward, Tokyo, and then targeted commercial buildings within the area, conducting an on-site inspection of the brokerage.

The survey team successfully arrived at the target building. The building is located in the heart of Nihonbashi-Kayabacho, close to both Nihonbashi and Kayabacho stations on the Tokyo Metro. It is surrounded by chain convenience stores, high-end restaurants, traditional craft shops, and various small and medium-sized business offices. Signs line the streets, pedestrian traffic is frequent, and commercial activities are active. The overall environment is bustling and orderly, perfectly fitting the description of a bustling environment. The building's facade, clad in dark gray tiles and with large expanses of glass, offers a simple and elegant appearance. While not a high-end office building, it is well-maintained and possesses the distinctive characteristics of a modern commercial building. The survey team conducted a comprehensive exterior inspection and found no logos or company names related to S.J. Advisors.However, due to the building's clear location and recognizable exterior, the survey team successfully captured a panoramic view of the building, fully documenting its exterior and the bustling surrounding commercial environment.

The surveyors then attempted to enter the building's first-floor lobby. There was no dedicated security booth at the entrance, only a building manager responsible for daily reception. The surveyors explained their intention to visit S.J. Advisors. After explaining their purpose, no additional identification was required, and entry was granted after a brief conversation. While not spacious, the lobby boasts a compact and well-planned layout. The floor is paved with light gray non-slip tiles, and the walls feature a floor map and fire safety signs. The overall decor is simple and practical, with an elevator lobby, a parcel storage area, and simple visitor rest benches, befitting a small or medium-sized commercial building. A solid sign indicating the floor information is prominently displayed to the right of the lobby entrance. It lists each floor in the format Floor - Company Name. The surveyors carefully checked the company names on each floor and found no reference to S.J. Advisors. This leads us to conclude that the broker's publicly available address may be inaccurate. To further verify the situation, the surveyors asked the building manager if they knew about the S.J. Advisors occupancy information. The manager stated they had no knowledge of the company and could only provide the company information listed on the public sign. Taking into account the vagueness of the public address, the surveyors, following the manager's advice, verified the occupancy status of each floor one by one, ultimately reaching a potential matching floor. Upon exiting the elevator, the floor's public areas were well-lit. The hallways featured light brown carpeting, while the walls were primarily off-white, decorated with simple paintings. The floor was generally well-maintained, with no visible stains or damage. The surveyors slowly walked along the hallways and noticed a prominent company logo plaque at the entrance to an office area. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the company name on the plaque did not match S.J. Advisors and belonged to another local trading company. The entrance door to this office area was glass and closed. The door handle was equipped with an electronic access control, which prevented it from being opened without a key or access card. The surveyors attempted to gently push the door panel to confirm its opening, but were ultimately unable to gain entry due to the locked access control.

During their stay on the floor, the surveyors further observed that the office areas throughout the floor were designed as separate cubicles, each with a dedicated company nameplate at the entrance. No shared office or co-working signs or posters were found, and distinct walls separated the various office areas. Combined with the building manager's statement that there are no shared office spaces, this clearly rules out the possibility that S.J. Advisors is a shared office. Since the surveyors were unable to enter any office areas, they were unable to directly observe the interior decor. However, judging by the cleanliness of the common areas, the exquisite exterior nameplates of the occupiers, and the overall level of building maintenance, the interior environment of each office area would be considered good. Furthermore, since they could not find S.J. Advisors' office area, they were unable to photograph the brokerage's reception desk or its logo. The inspection team also contacted the front desk of the company on the floor to inquire about whether S.J. Advisorswas co-leasing or affiliated with the company. However, they denied any knowledge of the company and stated that their office space was independently rented.

Thus, the inspection confirmed that the brokerage firm, S.J. Advisors, did not exist at the publicly listed address, and that the publicly listed address did not match the address on the inspection form.

Field Survey Summary

The surveyors visited the S.J.Advisors as planned. They could not find the broker's company name and other information at its publicly displayed business place, indicating that the broker does not have a real business location. Investors are advised to consider this information comprehensively before making decisions.

Field Survey Disclaimer

The above content and opinions are for reference only and should not serve as a basis for any final decision.