Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Can You Grant Stock Options to an Employee Hired Through EOR in Japan?
A SaaS company hiring its first Japan-based engineer or salesperson through an Employer of Record (EOR) arrangement almost always asks the same follow-up question once the offer letter is drafted:...
Japan IOR for Dropshipping: Who Is the Importer When the Merchant Never Touches the Goods
Dropshipping and merchant-fulfilled e-commerce share one structural feature that marketplace-warehouse and bulk-DTC models do not: the goods never stop at an intermediate point the merchant...
Japan IOR Consignment Stock and VMI Guide: Stocking Inventory in Japan Before the Sale Is Final
A foreign manufacturer selling into Japan through a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) arrangement or a consignment stock model faces a question its standard Importer of Record (IOR) setup was not...
Japan IOR and ACP Repair Re-Export Guide: Sending Equipment Back for Repair Without Losing Duty Relief on Re-Import
Equipment that has already cleared Japan Customs (税関) once does not simply sit still for the rest of its operating life. Industrial machinery, laboratory instruments, aerospace components, and...
Japan IOR Restricted and Prohibited Import Items: What Customs Will Not Let Your Importer of Record Clear
Restricted-party screening tells an Importer of Record whether it is safe to do business with a counterparty. It does not tell anyone whether the goods themselves are legal to bring into Japan....
How Foreign API and Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturers Ship Into Japan Without a Japan Entity: An IOR Guide for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Exporters (2026)
A foreign manufacturer of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), excipients, or other pharmaceutical raw materials shipping into Japan is solving a narrower problem than a finished drug or...
Japan Market Entry Budget: What IOR, EOR, and ACP Actually Cost in Year One (2026)
Most companies planning a Japan launch reach the "which structure" decision before they reach the finance team. By the time a CFO or controller gets asked to approve the plan, the question has...
Japan EOR Payroll and Tax Withholding Guide: How Employer of Record Runs Payroll for Your Japan Hire
Deciding to hire a Japan-based employee through an Employer of Record (EOR) structure resolves the question of who bears legal employer liability. It does not, by itself, explain what happens...
Japan IOR Service Agreement and SLA: What Should Be in Your Importer of Record Contract
A foreign company evaluating Importer of Record (IOR) providers in Japan usually spends most of its diligence effort on price and turnaround time, and very little on the contract itself. That is...
Japan IOR for Health Supplements, Vitamins, and Nutraceuticals: The Food Sanitation Act Layer Foreign Brands Miss
Foreign supplement brands arriving in Japan tend to carry one assumption from their home market: that a "supplement" or "nutraceutical" is a distinct regulatory category with its own approval...