Hello, this is Iwaya of IMS Legal Professional Corporation. The state of emergency has been extended until June 20th. Recently, there has been a lot of news about COVID-19, and honestly, I feel that the world is exhausted by all the information. The Tokyo Olympics are still going forward, even with new virus strains such as mutations and hybrids in full force. I also wonder if the "vaccine passport" will ever be realized.
Last week was a busy week for client inquiries. The breakdown works out to 78 requests for Japanese visas, 21 for U.S. visas, 17 for Vietnamese visas, 9 regarding naturalization, and 26 others of various types. Of the inquiries we received, many were for U.S. and Vietnamese visas.
One such inquiry was from an overseas client who wanted to set up an import/export company in Japan. In today's blog, I would like to talk a little about establishing a company.
It is possible for foreigners who do not have an address in Japan to establish a company in Japan while they are still overseas. Of course, in order to register the incorporation, you will need to have a Japanese head office, so you will need to decide on an address in Japan.
Getting a Business Manager Visa
The process of establishing a company itself is not that difficult, but in order to manage the company while staying in Japan, you will need to obtain a "Business Manager" visa. To obtain Business Manager visa, there are various requirements, and you will first need to apply for a "Certificate of Eligibility" (COE).
Any of the following requirements must be met in order to obtain the Business Manager visa.
- Hire two or more full-time employees who reside in Japan.
- The amount of capital or the total amount of investment is 5 million yen or more.
- Other activities which are recognized as being equivalent in scale to items 1 or 2.
In many cases, a company is initially established according to requirement #1 above. Going this route means the capital needs to be transferred from overseas bank to a bank account in Japan. (Using an overseas branch of a Japanese bank is OK). However, in most cases, foreigners who have not yet arrived in Japan do not have a bank account in Japan. Therefore, you should ask for the cooperation of a friend or relative in Japan, and delegate them to transfer the capital necessary for the establishment of the company.
In the case of the customer who contacted us this time, she mentioned that her sister was staying in Japan, so we are thinking that with her cooperation, there would be no problem in transferring the capital.
Summary
In short, overseas foreigners who are interested in establishing a company or obtaining a "Business Manager" visa will need the help of someone in Japan. In addition transferring capital, a local collaborator can also be essential when securing an office and gathering information on opening a business, etc.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been possible to conduct preparatory activities while coming and going on a "Temporary Visitor" tourist visa. Due to COVID, however, the Japanese government has stopped issuing tourist visas; the help of a collaborator in Japan has become essential.
Our company offers a one-stop service from the establishment of a company, to the acquisition of a "Business Manager" visa. We have helped many clients with their company establishment procedures. If you are worried about entering the Japanese market for the first time, please contact us. We will do our best to support your business expansion into Japan.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
