Starting a Business in Japan

Dear friend and fellow entrepreneur,

If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking of moving to Japan and would like to be able to live there as a business owner. Or perhaps you’re already a resident of the country but as an employee or student, and you’d like to transition to running your own business and get the associated visa. Or you might even be a family member of a Japanese national or permanent resident who don’t like the idea of his/her residency being tied to that relationship, and you’re looking for a way to be more independent.

Whatever your reason, living as an entrepreneur in Japan and tying your residency to your business has some major advantages. For instance:
► Setting your own schedule and escaping Japan’s notoriously tough working conditions (so you’re free to enjoy everything great this country has to offer).
► Being completely independent of others; since your visa is tied to your company, your ability to live in Japan no longer depends on a spouse, an employer, a school, or any third party sponsor, but on yourself and your ability to run a successful business.
► Being able to live in Japan even if your profile doesn’t satisfy the arbitrary requirements of other visa types; anyone who can get the paperwork done and is able to generate an income with his/her company gets a chance to live in Japan. Which means your skills, creativity and hard work can earn you your residency – as it should be.

But while this is all well and good, the problem is… you most likely don’t know how to go about it.

Have the following questions (or similar ones) ever crossed your mind:
► Should I aim for the Start-Up visa? Business Manager visa? Start as an employee or student and change residency status afterward?
► Do I really need to spend 5 million yen and hire two people to get the business visa? What are the other requirements?
► How do I register my business in Japan? Do I have to live there for that?
► How much would it cost to move my business to/create a company in Japan?
► Can I run a sole proprietorship or do I need to incorporate?
► Is it true that opening a corporate bank account for my company can take months?
► Is earning XXX with my business enough to live in Japan and get the visa?
► How much would I pay in taxes if I ran a business in Japan?
► How does the social security and pension system work in Japan for a business owner?
► How should I fill all those forms full of kanji I don’t understand? What am I supposed to write where?

Maybe you’ve considered outsourcing the whole thing to a professional (immigration lawyer, judicial scrivener…), but it’s expensive and keeps the whole process pretty opaque for you (i.e., you have no idea what’s being done or why, and you’ll be forever dependent on a third person every time something needs to be adjusted or updated). So you’ve done some research online, but it’s hard to know who to trust, what advice is based on first-hand experience versus hearsays (especially when those same advice contradict each other), and what applies to your particular situation.

Perhaps you’re struggling with the Japanese language and the specific terminology used. Or you’re looking for details from a wide range of fields (visa/immigration paperwork, everyday life/practical issues, fiscal considerations, questions about company registration, etc.) and can’t seem to find a reliable source of information covering all of it.

That might all look pretty overwhelming, and frankly, quite discouraging…

How do I know? Because I’ve been there – facing the same issues (and many more!), asking the same questions, looking for the same pieces of information, all while feeling a burning desire to pull this off on my own… and I did.

After months spent gathering knowledge from all kinds of sources, putting it into practice, learning what worked and discarding the rest, repeating, trying, testing, and banging my head against the wall more than once, I managed to move my business from Sweden to Japan and use it to sponsor my visa.

Not only that: I’m one of the very few people who’s done it all by himself, without calling upon professional help, for as little money as possible, as fast and easily as possible, while speaking only basic Japanese. From figuring out which visa to go for, gathering the appropriate paperwork and identifying the mindset to embrace to make the process as smooth as possible, to registering the business, understanding relevant taxation, and actually applying for the visa, and much, much more (including matters that must be handled every year while the company is active and dealing with ancillary issues, such as accommodation, bank, phone, etc.). I’ve even achieved the longest possible visa duration new business owners can hope for (3 years) in the shortest possible time (2 years).

And so, after a few years spent helping friends facing similar issues, I’ve now decided to share my experience and knowledge with a wider audience in order to help others achieve what I was able to do – while spending much less time on it all than I did, and with much less uncertainty, stress and frustration.

So if you want to get residency in Japan as an entrepreneur (whether that means moving an existing business there or starting a new one from scratch), and you’re looking for tips, advice and guidance on how to do it by yourself (from picking a visa strategy that makes sense for you and applying for residency, to establishing and then running the company, all while dealing with everyday practical issues) as easily, as fast and for as little money as possible, then you’re in the right place!