Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Do You Need a New Logo for the Japanese Market, or Can Your Global Brand Work As-Is? (2026)
Most foreign companies entering Japan should keep their existing logo mark and adapt the surrounding lockup rules rather than commission a new identity. A ground-up redesign is only justified when...
Why Every Japan Contract Needs an Anti-Social Forces Exclusion Clause (2026)
An Anti-Social Forces clause (反社会的勢力排除条項) is a mutual warranty that neither contracting party is a Boryokudan (暴力団, organized crime group), a Boryokudan member, or an affiliated entity, paired...
How Many Points Do You Need for Japan's HSP Visa? A Worked Example (2026)
You need 70 or more points on the relevant category table to qualify for HSP-1 status under Japan's Highly Skilled Professional visa (高度専門職). Points come from education, professional experience,...
Can Two Foreign Co-Founders Each Hold a Management Visa for the Same Japan Company? (2026)
Yes. More than one foreign national can each hold Management Visa (経営・管理) status in the same Japan company, but only if the entity is genuinely large enough to need that many managers. Immigration...
Japan Brand Localization: What Foreign Design Teams Get Wrong (2026)
Foreign brands entering Japan most often get typography pairing, line-height, color symbolism, and text length wrong, because Western design defaults assume a Latin-only script, lower information...
Do You Need a Plant or Animal Quarantine Permit to Import Into Japan? The MAFF Step Customs Doesn't Handle (2026)
Yes, if your shipment is a plant, a plant product, an animal-origin product, or contains CITES-listed species material. This clearance is separate from Japan Customs (税関) release and from any...
Can You Notarize a Japan KK's Articles of Incorporation Remotely in 2026?
Yes. Since March 1, 2024, the Japan Federation of Notaries Public Associations (日本公証人連合会) certifies a KK's Articles of Incorporation (定款) by web conference (ウェブ会議) by default, so a founder outside...
J-Skip Visa for Families: Spouse Work Rights and Dependent Status in Japan (2026)
J-SKIP is built around the same policy logic as HSP (高度専門職): Japan wants senior global talent to actually relocate, and that only happens if a spouse and children can come too. Family members...
J-Skip Visa Work Scope: Why It Allows More Than a Standard Work Visa (2026)
J-SKIP is issued under the broader Designated Activities (特定活動) status framework, which permits materially wider work scope than the standard Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International...
J-Find Visa Explained: Japan's Job-Seeking Status for Skilled Graduates and Researchers (2026)
J-FIND is a Designated Activities (特定活動) status that lets highly skilled foreign graduates and researchers stay in Japan for up to two years to search for a position matching Highly Skilled...