Corporate Registration & Business Set Up
Corporate Registration & Business Set Up
Establishing a legal entity in Japan requires precision, compliance, and cultural fluency. From selecting the right corporate structure to navigating local regulations, our end-to-end support ensures your business is registered swiftly and correctly.
Corporate Registration & Business Set Up
Used for non-commercial activities like market research, liaison, or sourcing, without generating revenue or signing contracts.
Ideal for companies testing the waters before committing to a full legal entities
Legal Status: ❌ Not a separate legal entity
Commercial Activities: ❌ Not allowed
Can Hire Staff: ⚠️ Limited options
Can Sponsor Visa: ❌ No
Local Nominee Required: ✅ Yes
Allows a foreign company to operate in Japan without creating a separate legal entity.
Best for businesses needing continuity with their global structure or operating under a unified corporate identity.
Legal Status: ✅ Extension of parent
Commercial Activities: ✅ Allowed
Can Hire Staff: ✅ Yes
Can Sponsor Visa: ✅ Yes
Local Nominee Required: ✅ Yes
A flexible, cost-effective setup suitable for startups or foreign SMEs entering Japan with minimal overhead.
Commonly used for quick market entry, pilot projects, or wholly-owned Japanese subsidiaries.
Legal Status: ✅ Legal entity
Commercial Activities: ✅ Allowed
Can Hire Staff: ✅ Yes
Can Sponsor Visa: ✅ Yes
Local Nominee Required: ✅ Yes*
*Residency not a legal requirement for incorporation after the revision to Japan’s Companies Act in 2015. However, a local representative or agent is required to handle key processessuch as capital injection, office contracts and bank account opening.
A flexible, cost-effective setup suitable for startups or foreign SMEs entering Japan with minimal overhead.
Commonly used for quick market entry, pilot projects, or wholly-owned Japanese subsidiaries.
Legal Status: ✅ Legal entity
Commercial Activities: ✅ Allowed
Can Hire Staff: ✅ Yes
Can Sponsor Visa: ✅ Yes
Local Nominee Required: ✅ Yes*
*Residency not a legal requirement for incorporation after the revision to Japan’s Companies Act in 2015. However, a local representative or agent is required to handle key processessuch as capital injection, office contracts and bank account opening.
POINTS OF CONSIDERATION
Credibility
The KK (Kabushiki Kaisha) is Japan’s most traditional corporate structure and is widely recognized by Japanese customers, partners, and institutions.
While the GK (Godo Kaisha) is a newer structure (introduced in 2006), it has gained broader acceptance — even among major global companies operating in Japan (e.g., Amazon, Apple, ExxonMobil).
That said, some industries may still favor the KK for its perceived prestige and formality
Scalability
The KK supports larger, scalable operations — including the ability to:
- Establish a Board of Directors
- List on a stock exchange
- Issue shares to raise capital
The GK is better suited for small to mid-sized, privately held businesses and does not support these mechanisms
Ownership
A KK provides clear separation between shareholders and management, supporting more formal governance structures.
In GK investors considered as partners and typically hold both ownership and operational control — with less flexibility in assigning voting rights or profit distribution based on investment proportion.
Cost
GK is more cost-efficient to establish and maintain
- Lower incorporation fee
- Fewer legal obligations (no annual shareholders’ meetings or mandatory disclosures
KK requires ongoing compliance, including:
- Annual shareholder meetings
- Financial disclosures
- Board meetings and statutory auditor oversight (if applicable)
Client Testimonials
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to VenturesLink for the invaluable support in the recent business trip to Japan from 20-25 April 2025.
It was truly a meaningful and productive trip for HDRA & Partners, allowing us to expand our business reach and build connections with several law firms in Japan.
Partnering with the VenturesLink team through their KizunaX service has been a game-changer for our Japan market entry. Japan was always a market we aspired to enter, but we didn’t know where to begin. The VenturesLink team made the entire process seamless — it wasn’t just about finding Japanese partners, it was about building genuine, long-term trust.