Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Can You Appoint a 業務執行社員 (Managing Member) Without Making Them a Full GK Member? (2026)
No. A foreign-owned Japan GK (Godo Kaisha, 合同会社) cannot appoint a managing member (業務執行社員) without first admitting that person as a full member (社員) with a capital contribution. The seat is not a...
Does a Japan GK Need a 職務執行者 If Its 代表社員 Is an Individual?
No. A 職務執行者 (executor of duties) seat exists only when the representative member (代表社員) or a managing member (業務執行社員) of a 合同会社 (GK, godo kaisha) is itself a corporation. Where the member is a...
Japan Corporate Bank Account Application Rejected: What Should You Do Next? (2026)
A rejected application means you diagnose which fact in your structure triggered it, then choose one of three paths: fix that fact, apply at a different bank type suited to a newer foreign-owned...
Can Your Japan Branch's Only Employee Also Be Its Required Representative? The Visa Trap
Yes, the same person can hold both roles, but doing so carries a visa-status risk that most foreign companies never surface before registration. A registered branch (外国会社の日本における営業所) must have at...
Can You Pay Japan Company Capital Through Wise or Payoneer? 2026 Rules for Non-Resident Founders
No. Wise and Payoneer are electronic money transfer service providers (資金移動業者), not banks under the Banking Act (銀行法) Article 2, Paragraph 1, so neither is confirmed to qualify as a...
Japan Branch Registration 2026: Publish Parent Financials?
Yes. A foreign company that registers a Japan branch (外国会社の日本営業所) and whose closest Japanese equivalent is a 株式会社 (KK, joint-stock company) must publish its own balance sheet (貸借対照表) in Japan...
Does a Japan Branch Owe JCT on Money Transferred From Head Office? (2026)
No. A registered foreign company branch (外国会社の支店) and its foreign head office are the same legal person, so an internal transfer of money or services between them is not a "transfer of assets"...
Does Japan Company Registered Capital Have to Be Paid In Yen? The Exchange-Rate Risk Non-Resident Founders Miss (2026)
Yes. Registered capital (資本金) for a Japan KK or GK is fixed and tracked in Japanese yen, not in the founder's home currency. A non-resident founder who scopes a company around a foreign-currency...
Does Your Home Country Need an Apostille or Consular Legalization for a Japan Company Filing? (2026)
It depends on whether your home country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. If it is, a single apostille stamp on your notarized document is enough for the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) to...
Signature Certificate vs. Affidavit: Japan Company Registration Rules for Non-Resident Founders (2026)
A non-resident individual director or shareholder needs a signature certificate (サイン証明), and a Ministry of Justice (法務省) notice from June 28, 2016 allows it to be authenticated by an official in...