Streamline your company incorporation in Japan
Japan has seen unprecedented economic growth since the 1950s. As one of the major economic powers in the world, Japan offers promising opportunities to foreign investors. However, the process of establishing a company in Japan is often challenging for foreign investors who are unfamiliar with the country’s processes and prohibitions.
Our comprehensive end-to-end solution will help your company establish a legal entity in Japan. We deliver a strategic approach by enabling our clients the ability to retain the same quality of legal compliance as their own in-country subsidiaries. Additionally, if your company is looking to begin operating in Japan before your company incorporation is complete, we provide a pre-incorporation PEO transitioning solution so you can quickly launch a global workforce.
Horizons is Japan’s most trusted incorporation partner to foreign clients. This expertise allows businesses to establish local entities efficiently, reliably, and compliantly.
Streamline your entity setup
Company incorporation
Our team of in-country experts work alongside local governments to handle the bulk of the incorporation process. This saves you valuable time and money.
Advisory services
Our highly-skilled advisors will manage all of your monthly corporate services. This includes your bookkeeping, financial planning, and accounting.
Local HR department
You can rely on the support of our local Human Resources department for reliable and compliant guidance for your entire entity setup.
Our approach to company incorporation in Japan.
Japan offers a lucrative opportunity to create and manage a local company of your own. We can work with you to identify a company structure that best aligns with your in-country strategy and long-term development plans.
By partnering with Horizons, we’ll help you manage your company’s end-to-end incorporation. This includes:
- Handling payroll setup and registration.
- Once incorporation is complete, we transition employees from their current employment status – under our PEO – into that of your company.
- Overseeing the same benefits your company has been providing to your foreign employees under the ownership of your new subsidiary.
- Gathering local employment contracts and legally mandated materials for the establishment of your new entity.
- Strategic guidance in matters concerning contract negotiations with employees.
Limited liability company
A limited liability company, or Godo-Kaisha, is the most common type of business entity that is established by foreigners. A subsidiary can be formed by setting up this type of entity. This type of entity can be established by a single shareholder who can be a foreigner. There must be a director appointed for the company who must be a resident of Japan.
The shareholders’ liability is limited to the amount of equity that they contribute to the limited liability company. The foreign company is not liable for the subsidiary’s debts or obligations.
The setup of a company in Japan often takes some time because of the various requirements to establish this type of entity. Physical space must be found and the foreign investor must submit evidence of this to the local authorities.
This type of entity can be established with a minimum capital investment of USD $1. However, the share capital must be increased to JPY 3 million, approximately USD $39,000, within five years of incorporation.
This type of business can conduct most types of business activities in Japan and provides greater flexibility for businesses.
This type of entity is required to prepare and submit financial statements to the Japanese tax authority one year after they are formed. However, if their issued capital is below USD $4.5 million, they may qualify for an audit exception.
Joint-stock corporation
Another option is to establish a joint-stock corporation. This entity is known as a Kabushiki-Kaisha in Japan. This option can be used to establish a subsidiary.
To establish a joint-stock corporation, a board of directors must be appointed usually with a minimum of three directors, one of whom must be a representative director who holds the corporate seal and is authorized to bind the company in legal transactions. One of the directors must be a resident of Japan.
This type of entity can be established with a minimum capital investment of USD $1. The incorporation process for joint-stock corporations is similar to that of a limited liability company. This type of entity is typically established when the owners of the company plan to finance their business by raising capital in the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
These entities are not subject to an audit like other types of businesses in Japan if they meet certain criteria, including:
- They are not listed on any stock exchange
- They have less than three directors
- Their issued capital is less than USD $4.5 million
- Their memorandum and articles of association includes restrictions on the shareholders’ power to freely transfer shares
When the companies meet these requirements, they are called closed Joint stock corporations or Kabushiki Joto Seigen Kaisha in Japan.
Free zone company
Export oriented manufacturing businesses may establish a free zone company in one of the free trade zones in Japan. The paid-up capital amount is based on the requirements of the free zone authority. Each free zone encourages different types of businesses. For example, the Okinawa free zone is often used for logistic business re-exporting their production to other countries in Asia.
Limited liability partnership
Foreigners can register a limited liability partnership. One of the partners must be a resident of Japan. The partners’ liability is limited to their contributions to the company.
This option is usually used by people who already have a partner in Japan.
No minimum capital requirement is imposed.
Limited liability partnerships in Japan are tax transparent entities. Earnings are deemed automatically distributed to the partners, who must claim them in their personal or corporate income tax returns. The partnership must prepare financial statements.
Branch office
Branch offices provide services in Japan under the direction by the foreign company. A branch office can engage in profit-generating activities, but it is not expected to engage in independent decision-making; it is part of the parent company. The operations that this type of entity can engage in are based on the operations specified in the memorandum and articles of association. Its activities are limited to those of the parent company. A branch office is not technically a separate legal entity. Instead, it is encompassed by the foreign company’s corporation status.
This type of entity must have a base of operations in Japan and must be registered. A resident representative must be authorized to represent the branch.
The parent company is liable for the debts of the branch office. A branch office in Japan can open bank accounts and lease real estate in the branch’s name.
This option is often used when a foreign company wants a simplified process of having a legal presence in Japan but wants to minimize accounting and bookkeeping obligations or when the company provides products or services that are subject to a licensing agreement with a high amount of capital involved.
Representative office
A representative office is not technically a separate legal entity. It does not need to be registered with the Legal Affairs Bureau and similar governmental entities.
A permanent agent must be appointed who is a resident of Japan. Any legal transactions are signed under the head office of the foreign company. Otherwise, the representative would sign under his or her individual capacity, which would subject him or her to unlimited liability for any such agreement.
This type of business establishment is not able to engage in commercial activities. It is restricted from engaging in sales or commerce activity and cannot open bank accounts, lease real estate under its own name or participate in other for-profit activity that would be taxable in Japan. Therefore, it is not permitted to engage in direct sales.
However, this office can complete the following activities:
- Market research
- Promoting the business of the parent company
- Advertising
- Test the Japanese market
The office does need to register with the tax office and is responsible for withholding taxes from employees.
This type of office is usually established as a preparatory step where a business can obtain important information about the market, conduct market research, begin networking and provide publicity to the business before it makes substantial investments into Japan.
Assistance with the incorporation process every step of the way
The local experts at Horizons can discuss each option with you and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each one so that you can make a fully informed decision about which entity to establish. We can then guide you through the incorporation process by assisting with steps like:
- Locating physical office space and preparing necessary documents to
- Reviewing articles of incorporation and other corporate documents to ensure that they contain the necessary information and provisions required by the law in Japan
- Notarizing articles of incorporation or other important documents
- Helping to locate a corporate bank account and facilitating the deposit of initial capital
- Preparing documents for the company’s registration
- Preparing the notification of the company’s seal
- Preparing a letter of agreement from the directors accepting their office
- Filing the application for the company registration
- Obtaining the registry certificate
- Obtaining the company’s seal certificate
- Applying for visas and work permits for foreign directors and employees
- Applying for the applicable operating license for the business
- Providing legal advice regarding tax and social insurance matters
Pre & post-incorporation services
Horizons provides companies with both pre and post-incorporation services as part of our entity setup solution.
With pre-incorporation, you can use our PEO service to immediately establish a global workforce in Japan while you await the completion of your company incorporation. Once the setup is complete, we will seamlessly transition your foreign employees from our international PEO directly to your company’s new subsidiary.
Our post-incorporation experts support ongoing monthly and annual compliance services in order for our clients to continue operating compliantly on-site, giving you the ability to primarily focus on local operations.
By partnering with Horizons for your company incorporation in Japan, you can save time and money while ensuring that the entire process will be handled efficiently, reliably, and with full compliance to local laws.
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How can Horizons support your entity setup in Japan?
Horizons will enable your business to fast-track its Japanese expansion by ensuring your entity setup is both cost-effective and compliant. Our expansion specialists have an intimate understanding of the Japanese market and support your business to gather the necessary employment contracts and legally mandated materials.
We also provide post-incorporation support that includes ongoing monthly and yearly compliance services. This allows you to successfully grow your brand throughout Japan.
