Five checks before you commit
- Substance: can you maintain the staffing, expenditure and presence relevant to your activity?
- Recurring costs: can you fund corporate and operating expenses during low-revenue periods?
- Banking and approvals: can you explain customers, transactions, funds and the business plan? Review decisions and timing independently.
- Japanese tax: have advisers reviewed residence, ownership, control and actual management?
- Target markets: are separate registrations or approvals needed for sales, employment, residence or tax?
An overseas company does not settle Japanese tax questions
Foreign-company tax rules require review of ownership, control and actual activity, as well as location. Obtain individual Japanese tax advice, including where an owner lives or manages the business from Japan. This guide does not determine applicability.
Prepare a brief for your first consultation
Summarise services, customer countries, working locations, responsible people, first-year budget, revenue assumptions and expected banking needs on one page. A mismatch is a reason to revisit the structure or operating plan before incorporation.