Start Company in Japan Visa Guide (2026)

To start a company in Japan for a later visa application, the practical steps include choosing a company form, securing an appropriate office address, and registering the entity before pursuing the relevant working status. For the KK incorporation routes described by JETRO, registration preparation also includes paying and documenting the capital. JETRO’s model places business setup before the Certificate of Eligibility and visa stages.

Company first or visa first?

For a new founder following JETRO’s setup model, incorporation comes first. The company completes its establishment registration, addresses required notices, and prepares its operating base before the representative applies to a Regional Immigration Services Bureau for a Certificate of Eligibility.

This order is practical because an office address is used for company registration, official notices, the Certificate of Eligibility application, opening a corporate bank account, and hiring. Registration also produces corporate records that banks commonly request.

There is an important sequencing problem for an applicant living abroad: some incorporation tasks may require access to Japan before the company has a corporate account or the founder has resident identification. JETRO notes that most people use professionals because establishment procedures are conducted in Japanese and can be complicated.

A judicial scrivener may act for company-registration applications, while JETRO identifies administrative scriveners as professionals commonly engaged for residence-related applications. Confirm each professional’s scope before assigning the incorporation and immigration work.

Choosing a KK or GK

The usual choices are a 株式会社 (kabushiki-kaisha, KK), translated as a joint-stock corporation, and a 合同会社 (gōdō-kaisha, GK), translated as a limited liability company. Both are subsidiary-company forms recognized under Japan’s Companies Act, and in both cases participant liability is limited to contributed assets.

A GK provides greater freedom to determine internal governance through its articles of association. Its members generally execute the business, although the articles may permit the appointment of managing partners.

JETRO also notes that a GK does not have to publish its financial results and can establish procedures for preparing and approving financial statements in its articles. These features can make it suitable where the owners want a comparatively flexible internal structure.

A KK is the joint-stock option. Its structure may be preferable when the founders specifically want a corporation organized around shares, but the cited sources do not establish that choosing a KK rather than a GK improves a visa application.

Choose by working backward from:

• who will contribute the capital;
• who will manage the Japanese business;
• how decisions should be approved;
• whether the owners want the GK’s governance flexibility;
• how the entity will present its ownership and management to banks and authorities.

Connect the registered address to the business premises

An office search should begin early because the company needs an office address for registration and several post-registration procedures. Treat the address as an operating decision, not merely a field to complete on an application form.

The trade name and head-office information enter the registration process, while the same business base may also appear in official notices, bank documents, and the Certificate of Eligibility file. Keep the company’s records and explanation of its activities consistent with the premises actually selected.

JETRO discusses temporary offices as a way to conduct setup work and meet advisers. It does not, in the supplied guidance, confirm that every temporary, shared, residential, or virtual arrangement satisfies the premises expected in an individual immigration case.

Paying KK capital before registration

For the KK routes described by JETRO, capital is paid before the establishment-registration application because the relevant evidence of payment is submitted with the filing. For a KK incorporated by offering, JETRO states that paid-in capital is deposited with a bank and a bank-issued certificate is submitted to the competent Legal Affairs Bureau.

For a KK incorporated without offering, the capital may be deposited into the account of the incorporator, representative director at incorporation, or a director at incorporation. The filing then uses a bankbook copy or account statement together with a document certifying the paid-in capital.

If all those specified people are domiciled overseas, receipt of the deposit may be delegated to a third party. JETRO lists a power of attorney, a copy of the third party’s bankbook, and a document certifying the deposit among the required evidence.

Eligible payment-handling locations described by JETRO include domestic headquarters and branches of banks, overseas branches of Japanese banks, and Japanese branches of foreign banks. Check the exact payment route with the professional preparing the registration before transferring funds.

Check immigration eligibility before committing capital. The Business Manager rules effective from October 16, 2025 require a corporation to have at least ¥30 million in paid-in capital or total contributions and to employ at least one qualifying full-time employee. Capital and employment are separate requirements. The rules also include Japanese-language ability, the applicant’s education or management experience, and expert review of a new business plan. Company registration alone does not establish compliance. Check the Immigration Services Agency’s current rules and transitional provisions for the application concerned.

Registration steps and document checklist

Step 1: Define the business

Write the intended activities carefully. JETRO states that a Japanese company may conduct the activities written in the objectives section of its articles of incorporation, so the objectives should cover the planned business accurately.

Check whether the activity requires a permit, approval, or notification. Regulated examples identified by JETRO include financial, insurance, pharmaceutical, alcoholic-beverage, and construction-related activities.

Step 2: Choose and check the trade name

The trade name must appear in the articles and registration. It may use Japanese characters or letters of the alphabet, and JETRO recommends checking whether another company is already using the proposed name.

Step 3: Fix the structure and office

Choose KK or GK, determine the participants and management roles, and settle the head-office address. Prepare the articles and internal decisions appropriate to the selected form.

Step 4: Arrange seals and identity documents

JETRO explains that companies commonly prepare a representative seal, bank seal, and company-name seal. The representative seal is registered with the competent Legal Affairs Bureau, while the bank seal is used in dealings with financial institutions.

Requirements can differ according to the representative’s circumstances and filing method. In particular, a resident’s personal seal-certificate route depends on having the necessary residence documentation.

Step 5: Pay and record KK capital

For a KK, complete the payment using one of the routes described by JETRO and retain the required bank evidence. If a third party receives the payment because all specified incorporators and directors are domiciled overseas, include the supporting authority and account records.

Step 6: Submit the establishment registration

Use the forms and examples published by the Legal Affairs Bureau for the chosen company type. The Bureau accepts commercial and corporate registration applications and also provides access to the government’s one-stop incorporation service.

For a GK, the representative member can apply online using a My Number Card and an IC card reader. Applicants unable to use that online route may make a paper application, and electronic signatures can remove the need to submit certain attachments.

Step 7: Prepare the post-registration file

After registration, organize corporate and operating records for tax, banking, licensing, and other applicable procedures:

• the certificate of registered corporate matters;
• the corporate seal-registration certificate;
• capital-payment records;
• the articles and ownership information;
• office records;
• permits or applications relevant to the business;
• materials explaining the company and its intended transactions.

Tax establishment notices must be submitted to the relevant national, prefectural, and municipal offices, subject to the different treatment noted by JETRO for Tokyo’s special wards. Foreign-investment reporting may also apply: JETRO states that prior notification is required for specified sensitive industries, while other businesses generally report to the Bank of Japan within 45 days from establishment.

Opening a business bank account as a non-resident founder

The account used to receive a KK’s incorporation capital is not described by JETRO as a temporary account, and it may not be a company account. For a KK incorporated without offering, JETRO permits the capital to be deposited into an incorporator’s, incorporation-time representative director’s, or incorporation-time director’s account. If all specified people are domiciled overseas, receipt may be delegated to a third party.

A separate corporate bank-account application appears after business establishment in JETRO’s model. Banks generally request corporate certificates when considering that application.

JETRO lists the certificate of registered corporate matters, corporate seal-registration certificate, identification for the applicant handling the transaction, and the seal to be registered with the bank as common documents. Each institution sets its own detailed requirements.

Opening an account is not automatic. A bank conducts screening and may decline an application based on its comprehensive judgment without disclosing the detailed reasons.

The bank may examine the company’s beneficial owners, purpose for opening the account, business activities, financial condition, and any required licence or permit. JETRO recommends preparing supporting materials such as a corporate website, certificates, agreements, and other evidence, then answering inquiries promptly and reliably.

For an overseas founder, this makes preparation especially important. Before selecting a bank, ask who may submit the application, what identification it accepts, which corporate documents it needs, and how it verifies the actual business.

Frequently asked questions

Where does company registration appear in JETRO’s visa setup model?

JETRO’s general setup model places company registration before the Certificate of Eligibility and visa stages. JETRO also states that an office address is needed for a Certificate of Eligibility application. The appropriate status of residence depends on the nature of the applicant’s activities in Japan.

How can I pay capital if everyone lives overseas?

For the KK incorporation-without-offering route described by JETRO, receipt of the payment can be delegated to a third party when all specified incorporators and directors are domiciled overseas. The registration file must include the appropriate power of attorney, account copy, and payment certification.

Will registration guarantee a corporate bank account?

No. Banks conduct their own screening, requirements differ by institution, and an application may be declined.

Can I register at any convenient address?

An office address is necessary for registration and other setup procedures, but the supplied guidance does not say that every registrable address will satisfy immigration review. Confirm both registration usability and immigration suitability before committing to the premises.

Common questions