Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Japan KK Capital From a Transfer-Restricted Country: Can It Still Be Funded? (2026)
Yes. A founder whose home country limits personal outbound transfers can still incorporate a KK or GK and reach the JPY 30,000,000 Business Manager visa (経営・管理) capital threshold, but the fix sits...
Can an Importer of Record Keep Your Supplier and Buyer From Seeing Each Other in Japan? (2026)
Yes, within limits. An Importer of Record (IOR) that genuinely buys the goods and resells them can be directed in writing to withhold the upstream supplier's identity from the Japan buyer, and the...
Why Does Demoing a Starlink Terminal in Japan Cost More Than the Hardware? (2026)
A USD 500 to 1,000 Starlink-class terminal cannot legally transmit in Japan without either a Type Certification (技適) mark or an Experimental Station Licence (実験局免許). For a one-off trial or demo,...
Do You Need a Management Visa to Own a Japan Company You Run From Abroad? (2026)
No. A foreign national can own and hold a director title in a Japan KK or GK entirely from overseas, with no visa or status of residence at all, because Japan abolished the...
Can You Use a Pure Import Agent in Japan Instead of an IOR or ACP? (2026)
No. Japan has no legal category for a pure import agent who neither takes title to the goods nor becomes the named importer. The Customs Act (関税法) requires whoever appears on the import...
How Do You Pay In Capital for a Japan Company With No Japan Bank Account? (2026)
You do not need a personal Japan bank account to pay in share capital (資本金) when incorporating a Japan company from overseas. Companies Act (会社法) Article 34, Paragraph 2 allows a Japan-resident...
Why a Translated SDS Isn't Enough for Japan
No. A translated Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is not sufficient for Japan. Japan requires SDS localization to the JIS Z 7253 standard, which is Japan's GHS-aligned format specifying section structure,...
Why Does a Japan Company Owe Tax With Zero Profit? The Per-Capita Inhabitant Tax Explained (2026)
A Japan company owes tax even at zero profit because of the per-capita component (均等割) of the Corporate Inhabitant Tax (法人住民税), a flat local levy owed simply for having a registered office in...
Does a Japan Business Contract Need a Revenue Stamp? Stamp Duty Rules for Foreign Companies (2026)
A paper contract in a category specified by the Stamp Tax Act (印紙税法) needs a physical revenue stamp (収入印紙); a purely electronic contract does not, because no paper original means no taxable...
What Happens When a Japan KK or GK Enters Civil Rehabilitation? (2026 Guide)
When a foreign-owned Japan KK or GK subsidiary files for Civil Rehabilitation (民事再生), the existing representative director and management team keep running the business while a rehabilitation plan...