How to Establish a Company in Japan
Here are the details on the procedures and costs for setting up a company in Japan.
In order to set up a company in Japan, it is necessary to follow several steps :
1,Finding an office address. Deciding the basic elements and prepare the required documents (click here for more detail)
Securing a resident Representative Director, or in some cases a third party, who will provide a bank account to deposit the capital
2,Preparing the Articles of Incorporation (teikan)
The articles of incorporation are the important documents that determine how the company will be managed. They must be elaborated for each case, pero the needs of shareholders / investors and their relationship with directors.
3,Notarization of the articles of incorporation
(at the Notary Office / Koshonin yakuba) *ONLY FOR KK, not require for GK
Notarization fee : 50,000 yen Revenue stamps (also required for GK): 40,000 yen (Note)
4,Deposit of capital
Since the company’s bank account cannot be opened until the registration is completed, it is necessary to use one of the investors personal bank account in Japan to deposit the initial capital. In the case of a foreign company’s subsidiary, the Representative Director’s personal bank account can be used.
5,Preparing documents for the company’s registration
In addition to the application form, it is necessary to prepare various documents such as the notification of the company’s seal (inkan) that also needs to be registered, a letter of agreement from the directors assuming their office.
6,Filing the application for the company registration
(Registry Office / Homukyoku)
Registration fee : minimum 150,000 yen for KK 60,000 yen for GK
7,Registration to the registry completed
Once the company is registered, it is possible to obtain a registry certificate and company’s seal certificate, which are required at various business situations such as opening a corporate bank account, or signing business or employment contracts in company’s name.
8,Tax and social insurance related procedures, etc.
Opening a bank account under the company’s name Application of the visa and status of residence for non-Japanese directors and employees Application of business licenses if the type of business requires an operating license.
All these procedures require a total of 2 to 4 weeks, although it could take longer if some of the investors are living overseas.
(Note) Our office has introduced the system of electronic signature, you don’t have to pay 40,000 yens for the fiscal stamps if you use our services for setting up your company.
If your business requires some sort of professional license to operate in Japan, it could take 2 to 3 months before being able to fully operate the business.
We support with setting up a business in Japan.
