Regulatory Strategy & Market Entry

Enter Japan with one accountable partner.

One team runs your whole move into Japan: trade, incorporation, tax, visas, and compliance. Start selling with no local entity, and stop chasing four vendors. We work in English, Japanese, and Chinese.

Book a free consultation

No Japan entity needed to start · We reply within one business day

See the full service portfolio below.

Aerial view of a container port in Japan
One team for trade, incorporation, tax, and visas. Based in Hong Kong and Osaka.
No
Japan entity to start
9
Service lines, one team
3
Languages: EN · JP · ZH
1 day
To our first reply
Our mandate

Most companies enter Japan by stitching together separate vendors: a customs agent, a lawyer, an accountant, a visa specialist. Each owns one slice, and the regulatory risk lives in the gaps between them. Aplash is a regulatory strategy and market-entry firm, not a logistics provider. We take the entire entry under one accountable team, so nothing falls between vendors and no filing is missed.

Aplash 全周期服务

一个伙伴,贯穿您的日本发展全程。

  1. 阶段 01试探市场通过 IOR 或 ACP 进口销售,无需在日本设立实体。当前阶段
  2. 阶段 02设立公司当业务量足够时,设立株式会社(KK)或合同会社(GK)。了解更多
  3. 阶段 03持续运营税务、签证及日常合规事务一并处理。了解更多

Every service your entry needs, from one team.

Start trading with no local entity. Incorporate when the volume earns it. Then operate and grow, all with the same team.

Why Aplash

Skill over scale. Discretion by default.

We compete on capability, not headcount. And we keep our clients invisible, on purpose.

Senior people, not a call centre. Regulated, controlled, and multi-ministry matters are handled by the people who file them.

One accountable team. Trade, incorporation, tax, and visas run together, so nothing stalls between vendors.

Regulatory-first. We map every approval your product needs, including 外為法 (FEFTA)-sensitive and dual-use goods, before you commit a yen.

No logos, no case studies, no client names, by design. Discretion is the service. We work quietly for founders and corporates in English, Japanese, and Chinese.

How we work

From first call to operating in Japan.

One team, one plan, every stage. You always know the next step and who owns it.

01

Consultation

A free scoping call. We learn your product, your goals, and your timeline into Japan.

02

Structure & Plan

We pick your entry route, IOR, ACP, or incorporation, and map every approval your goods require.

03

Execute

Registrations, filings, and your first shipment or incorporation, handled end to end.

04

Operate & Scale

Tax, compliance, visas, and expansion, managed as you grow in Japan.

FAQ

Entering Japan, answered.

The questions companies ask most before they choose an entry route.

Do I need a Japanese company to sell in Japan?

No. You can import and sell through an Importer of Record (IOR) or an Attorney for Customs Procedures (ACP / 税関事務管理人) with no local entity. Set up a Japanese KK or GK later, when your volume earns it. Aplash handles that step when you are ready.

IOR, ACP, or company setup, which one do I need?

ACP fits general consumer goods and Amazon FBA. IOR fits regulated, hazardous, or controlled goods, where a legal importer must carry the liability. Incorporation fits established operations that want their own entity. Tell us your product on a call and we name the right route.

Can one firm handle trade, incorporation, tax, and visas?

Yes. That is the point of Aplash. Trade compliance, KK/GK incorporation, tax and legal, and immigration run under one accountable team, in English, Japanese, and Chinese. You manage one relationship, not four vendors.

How is Aplash different from a freight forwarder or customs broker?

Aplash is a regulatory strategy and market-entry firm, not a logistics company. We carry the legal and compliance responsibility for entering the Japanese market and direct the licensed brokers and carriers on your behalf. We do not move freight ourselves.

How long does it take to start?

ACP registration is approved in two weeks. IOR onboarding and company incorporation move as fast as your documents arrive, and you get a firm, sequenced timeline on the first call.

Which languages and markets do you cover?

English, Japanese, and Chinese, from bases in Hong Kong and Osaka. We take companies into Japan from anywhere in the world.

Let's get you into Japan.

Tell us your product and your goals. We reply with your entry route and the next steps within one business day.

Book a free consultation

Start your Japan market entry.

Tell us about your product and your goals. We map your entry route and next steps within one business day.

无任何义务。我们绝不会分享您的信息。

From the journal.

Field notes on entering and operating in the Japanese market.

View all articles
Trade

Japan ACP for Australian and New Zealand Manufacturers: Non-Resident Importer Setup Under JAEPA and CPTPP (2026)

Australian and New Zealand manufacturers exporting to Japan have long relied on Japanese trading companies or distributors as the named importer on Japan customs declarations. Following a Japan...

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IOR & EOR

Japan IOR vs ACP: Who Bears Product Liability When Your Product Causes Harm in Japan (2026)

Most discussions of IOR and ACP focus on the customs mechanics: who is named on the import declaration, how JCT recovery works, and what happens when a shipment is held for inspection. Those are...

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IOR & EOR

Japan IOR Returns and Reverse Logistics: How to Handle Goods Exported Back from Japan (2026)

Returns are the scenario that almost every company running Japan imports fails to plan for until the first one happens. When a Japan customer returns goods, when a warranty replacement requires...

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IOR & EOR

Japan IOR and ACP for Indian Manufacturers: Market Entry via the India-Japan CEPA (2026 Guide)

India-Japan bilateral trade has grown consistently over the past decade. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA, 包括的経済連携協定) between India and Japan, in effect since August 2011,...

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Trade

Japan ACP for Taiwan Manufacturers: How to Import as Non-Resident Without Setting Up a KK (2026)

Taiwan is one of Japan's largest trade partners in electronics, semiconductors, precision machinery, and industrial components. For decades, the standard market-entry path for Taiwan manufacturers...

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Trade

Japan ACP as a Permanent Import Strategy: When to Stay Non-Resident and When to Incorporate (2026)

Most foreign companies treating Japan as a serious market arrive with a default assumption baked in: "We'll use ACP for now, then incorporate once we're ready." That framing is almost always the...

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