Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Japan EOR Statutory Social Insurance and Employee Benefits: What's Actually Included in Your Employer-of-Record Fee (2026)
Foreign companies evaluating an Employer of Record (EOR) arrangement in Japan tend to ask two separate questions and conflate them into one. The first is a cost question: how much does this hire...
How to Choose an IOR Provider in Japan: The Questions That Actually Matter Before You Sign (2026)
Most foreign companies evaluating an Importer of Record (IOR) provider in Japan start with price and turnaround time. Those matter, but they are not the questions that determine whether the...
Incoterms Do Not Decide Who Is Japan's Importer of Record: DDP, DAP, FOB, EXW, and CIF Against IOR and ACP Structures (2026)
A foreign manufacturer negotiating a Japan sale settles on an Incoterm, often DDP because it sounds like the simplest promise to a Japan buyer, and assumes the customs and importer question is now...
Japan IOR for Alcohol and Beverage Brands in 2026: The Liquor Sales License Layer Most Import Guides Miss
Wine, spirits, beer, and sake importers researching how to bring product into Japan typically find guidance on customs clearance and, if the brand has read closely, on the Food Sanitation Act...
How Much Cash Do You Need Upfront for a Japan IOR? Deposits, Duty Guarantees, and Working Capital Explained (2026)
Most foreign companies budgeting for a Japan Importer of Record (輸入者) arrangement price it as a service fee: pay the provider, goods clear, done. That assumption misses a structural fact about how...
Japan Import De Minimis Threshold 2026: When You Don't Need an IOR or ACP At All
Foreign companies frequently over-engineer their Japan entry. A prospect emails asking for an Importer of Record (IOR) setup or an Attorney for Customs Procedures (税関事務管理人, ACP) appointment for a...
Japan IOR for Drones, Robotics, and Industrial Automation Equipment (2026 Guide)
A foreign manufacturer of drones, networked robots, or factory automation hardware typically starts with a customs question: who imports the equipment into Japan, and who is named on the import...
IOR vs EOR vs ACP: Which Japan Market-Entry Structure Do You Actually Need in 2026
Foreign companies researching Japan market entry run into three acronyms that sound like they belong to the same family: IOR, EOR, and ACP. They do not. Each answers a different question, and none...
Japan EOR vs PEO: Why the PEO Model Doesn't Actually Exist Here (2026 Guide)
Foreign companies researching how to hire in Japan without an entity frequently arrive with a term borrowed from the US market: PEO, or Professional Employer Organization. It is a reasonable place...
Japan IOR for Wearable Health Tech: When Does a Fitness Tracker Become a Regulated Medical Device? (2026)
Wearable health technology sits on one of the least intuitive regulatory boundaries a foreign brand entering Japan will encounter. Two products can share nearly identical hardware, a wrist-worn...