MarketRadar
← All ideas IDEA-038 7.0 japan api-as-a-product developed

REST + webhooks + OpenAPI for OBIC7 (and 奉行, GLOVIA): we read your CSV exports/DB and serve a clean modern API — turn legacy ERP into something DX teams can actually integrate with.

Problem

OBIC7 — one of Japan's most-installed mid-market ERPs (3000-5000 customers) — has no native REST API. Every integration runs through CSV batches, blocking real-time DX initiatives. 情シス teams say 'partner systems give us APIs, OBIC7 has none, we must build CSV-batch flows'. The same gap exists for 奉行 (OBC), GLOVIA, MA-EYES — all dominant JP-domestic ERPs.

Audience

情シス (corporate IT) at OBIC7-running mid-market firms (3000-5000 in JP), JP SI vendors (NRI, NTT Data, smaller integrators) currently writing bespoke CSV-glue, DX consultants charging ¥10-30M one-time for OBIC7 connectivity, and AI-agent teams hitting the CSV wall.

Reasoning

Source signals

  • **SIG-20260425-japan-api-as-a-product-obic7-erp-api-gap** — "OBIC7 lacks API features; CSV-only integration; partner APIs unusable; major DX barrier."
  • **SIG-20260425-japan-api-as-a-product-legacy-system-api-replace** — "Same pattern across legacy JP ERPs; demand for REST wrappers."
  • **SIG-20260425-japan-api-as-a-product-spanner-omni-on-prem-api** — "On-prem JP system API gap, Spanner Omni hint at solution direction."
  • **SIG-20260425-japan-api-as-a-product-mode-bizstack-iot-data-api** — "JP enterprise data accessibility patterns."

Reasoning

4+ independent JP IT-blog signals confirm a structural pattern: dominant domestic ERPs (OBIC7, 奉行, GLOVIA, MA-EYES) blocking the DX wave because they only export CSV. The current alternative is ¥10-30M bespoke SI work — our ¥50-150K/mo subscription is 16-50× cheaper TCO. Build is pure plumbing (FastAPI + Celery + Postgres + file-watcher), 14 days. Critical caveat: this is an **enterprise sales motion** with 3-6 month cycle, JP-trust-dependent. Solo founder can ship the product but needs JP-native sales partner or SI co-sell motion to monetise. White space for the product itself is high (no direct SaaS competitor); risk is execution-side (sales velocity).

Quick competitive read

  • **Workato / Tray.io / boomi** — global iPaaS, no OBIC7 support; complementary not competitive.
  • **NRI/NTT Data SI bespoke work** — ¥10M+ one-time, not productised.
  • **OBIC SI Plus partner program** — internal DX program, not developer-friendly REST.
  • **Yenta, robon.co.jp** — JP system integrators, not SaaS.
  • No direct SaaS "OBIC7 → REST" competitor: **white space**, `competitive_pressure: 7-9`. Long sales cycle is the real gate, not competitor density.

Initial pricing hypothesis

Starter ¥30K/mo (1 OBIC7 instance + 100K events), Pro ¥80K/mo (3 instances + webhooks), Enterprise ¥150K+/mo (3+ ERP brands incl. 奉行/GLOVIA + SLA), one-time setup fee ¥300K (Puente-pattern).

Distribution hypothesis

Direct outreach to JP SI partners (NRI, NTT Data, small integrators) for white-label motion; OBIC official partner program listing (slow but high-leverage); Qiita case studies from 情シス customers; DX-conferences (Japan IT Week, IT Week Tokyo) for right-buyer presence.

What we ship

**Core features (MVP)**

  • Customer onboarding wizard with three connection modes — a step-by-step flow for 情シス: (1) **CSV-watcher** (file-watcher on SFTP / network share, polls hourly OBIC7 batch exports), (2) **ODBC-tunnel** (read-only ODBC reader against the OBIC7 SQL Server backend over VPN/SSH tunnel), (3) **Scheduled-export** (custom OBIC7 batch job that drops a delta every N hours). Wizard self-tests the connection, diagnoses errors, generates the DPA contract.
  • REST endpoints + webhooks UI — `GET /v1/customers`, `GET /v1/vendors`, `GET /v1/journals`, `GET /v1/transactions?since=...`, `POST /v1/webhooks` for real-time change push; OpenAPI 3.1 spec, dashboard CRUD for webhook configs, delivery log with retry status.
  • OBIC7 schema reverse-engineering library — the real moat: 2-3 weeks for the first customer, leveraged across every subsequent install. Same playbook ports to 奉行 (OBC), GLOVIA, MA-EYES with adapter shims.
  • Audit log + 法人税法 compliance mode — we **never permanently store** customer data, only a 90-day cache + audit log; OBIC7 remains source of truth for 7-year retention (法人税法). Eliminates regulatory weight and simplifies the DPA.
  • JPY enterprise invoicing with 適格請求書 number — ¥30-150K/mo sales motion, manual invoicing with T-number (税務署 issuer registration), one-time setup fee ¥300K (Puente pattern).

**Primary user flow**

1. Customer onboarding (情シス persona) — log into dashboard → wizard picks one of three connection modes → 情シス stands up SFTP / ODBC tunnel / batch export per our runbook → wizard self-tests → DPA signed → connection live (1-3 days).

2. API integration (developer persona) — customer's developer or SI partner receives API key + OpenAPI spec → curl `GET /v1/customers` → response returns clean JSON from the OBIC7 customer master → integration with partner system or AI agent ready.

3. Webhook subscription — `POST /v1/webhooks` with URL + filter (e.g. only new 売掛 transactions); every OBIC7 change (via CSV-watcher delta detection) triggers an HMAC-signed payload to the partner system within N minutes.

4. Billing — Starter ¥30K/mo (1 OBIC7 instance, 100K events/mo) → Pro ¥80K/mo (3 instances, unlimited events, webhooks) → Enterprise ¥150K+/mo (3+ ERP brands incl. 奉行/GLOVIA, custom ETL, SLA, dedicated support); manual JPY/適格請求書 invoicing.

**What it looks like**

  • Landing page (developer-friendly): hero "OBIC7 → REST in 3 days, not ¥10M of bespoke SI", TCO comparison (¥30M one-time SI vs ¥80K/mo = 16-50× cheaper), three connection modes as product-tour cards, 情シス testimonials, "Coming soon: 奉行, GLOVIA, MA-EYES", JPY pricing table.
  • API docs page: Stripe-style three-pane EN/JP (for foreign SI and JP engineers), OBIC7→REST schema mapping, "Try it" against a sandbox OBIC7 instance, curl/Python/Node samples side-by-side, dedicated "OBIC7 quirks" section listing known edge cases.
  • Dashboard: connection status (CSV-watcher last-run, ODBC-tunnel health, batch-export schedule), event throughput graph, webhook delivery log with retry status, API key CRUD, 7-year-retention audit log for compliance, Stripe-or-manual billing portal.
  • JPY billing screen: PDF preview with 適格請求書 number (T1234567890123), 消費税 (10%) breakdown, one-time setup fee ¥300K when applicable, invoice history, freee/MFクラウド export for the customer's contador.

**MVP build plan: 14 days**

  • Day 1-2: FastAPI + Postgres + Celery + Redis, scaffolded dashboard, GitHub OAuth, manual JPY billing flow.
  • Day 3-5: OBIC7 schema reverse-engineering — analyze one customer sandbox instance, map tables to REST resources (customers, vendors, journals, transactions).
  • Day 6-7: CSV-watcher (Celery worker) + delta-detection logic + Postgres normalization.
  • Day 8: ODBC-tunnel reader (read-only adapter via pyodbc / SQLAlchemy).
  • Day 9: Scheduled-export adapter (batch job triggered by Celery beat).
  • Day 10: REST endpoints + OpenAPI 3.1 spec (customers, vendors, journals, transactions, /sync).
  • Day 11: Webhook delivery (Resend), HMAC, retry queue, dashboard UI for webhook CRUD.
  • Day 12: Customer onboarding wizard (frontend) covering all three connection modes, connection self-test, DPA generator.
  • Day 13: JPY invoice generator with 適格請求書 number, audit-log dashboard, 法人税法 compliance docs.
  • Day 14: Soft launch — one small SI partner, one OBIC7 customer pilot, ready for 3-6 month enterprise sales cycle.