Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Japan Sales Agent PE Risk in 2026: Does a Local Rep Create a Taxable Presence?
Appointing a Japan sales agent or distributor does not automatically create a Permanent Establishment (PE). The determining factor is whether the agent habitually concludes contracts in your...
Can a Non-Resident Company Be the Named Exporter on a Japan Customs Declaration?
Yes. A non-resident company can be the named exporter on a Japan export declaration by appointing a Japan-resident customs procedure agent (税関事務管理人) under Article 95 of the Customs Act (関税法第95条)....
PSE and Giteki in Japan: Do Wireless Devices Need Both?
Yes. A battery-powered wireless device with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, or NFC needs both Radio Act (電波法) Giteki (技適) certification and Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Act (電気用品安全法, PSE)...
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 You Use a Japan IOR to Import Goods Before You Have a Buyer Lined Up? (2026)
Yes. A Japan Importer of Record can bring goods into the country before a downstream buyer is secured, but only as a structured hold, not an open-ended parking arrangement. The importer of record...
Do You Need a FEFTA Export License to Import a Research Balloon Into Japan?
Not for the import itself. The Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (外為法, FEFTA) licensing question for a stratospheric research balloon sits on the export and re-export side of the payload's...
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...
Does Temporary Admission Into Japan Trigger a FEFTA Export License on Re-Export?
A temporary admission into Japan does not by itself create a FEFTA export licensing obligation. The licensing question resurfaces at the point of re-export: Article 48 of the Foreign Exchange and...
Does One Japan ACP Appointment Cover Every Port of Entry, or Do You Need a Separate Filing per Customs Office?
No. A Japan ACP (Attorney for Customs Procedures / 税関事務管理人) appointment under Article 95 of the Customs Act (関税法第95条) is recorded with one Customs office at a time. Bringing goods through a second...
Can You Stay the Exporter of Record on a Japan Export? Client-Named-Exporter EOR Explained (2026)
Yes. Under a Client-Named-Exporter EOR structure, your company, or a named non-resident principal, stays the named exporter on the export declaration (輸出申告), and Aplash coordinates the filing as...