VISA Information
Visa Q&A List - VISA Information
How to start a business in Japan?
I am a Belgian who is well-known as an appraiser of lace used for clothing. I have been to Japan several times as a lecturer to attend lecture meetings. Since Japan is a desirable market for selling lace, I am planning to set up a company and start a business. Please advise me how to do it.
Last year, a new corporation law was enacted that enabled people to set up a company with ease. To run a company, you need to hold stockholder general meetings and have a board of directors. Besides the above, you can also combine functions, for example, a board of directors and an auditor depending on whether you limit transactions to the transfer of stocks to others or not, or whether your company is small or medium-sized. Please decide for yourself which functions are most suitable for your company after considering management efficiency and strategy, etc.
In order to start a business in Japan, you need to have an "investment and management" visa. After entering Japan with a short-stay visa and carrying out preparations to set up a company, etc, please apply for the Certificate of Eligibility before you leave Japan.
In the case of an investment and management visa, there are some important points to note: (1) you have to find a location for the company. If you combine it with your residence, it should have more than two rooms with at least one room set aside for company use. (2) You are also required to invest a considerable amount of money in your business. The amount should be enough to manage management policy, which is considered to be at least five million yen. Also, prepare the relevant statements to show this amount. (3) You will also need to examine the scale of the business and create a 1-year business plan.
Advisor: KUROKAWA Koji (Immigration Lawyer)
