Company formation · 会社設立
Form a company in Japan, with members anywhere.
A company whose founders or investors live abroad has its own paperwork: signature certificates instead of seals, sworn affidavits for addresses, and a report on foreign investment. A Japanese firm handles it, whichever kind of company you form. You give the details once, in your own language.
You write in your language. Your firm works in Japanese.
The founder's portal
事務所の画面 ・ 日本語
- 商号
- 合同会社サンプル商事
- 事業内容
- Buying, renting and managing property in Tokyo.依頼者による説明（原文）
- 社員
- NGUYEN THI MAI 代表社員・非居住者
TANAKA YUI 業務執行社員・居住者
Who forms a company this way
Founders who will run the business
Most go on to a Business Manager visa, which needs the company to exist first.
Buying property through a company
The usual choice is a GK, the simpler kind of company: cheaper to form, and its articles need no notary.
Japanese founders with partners abroad
When a member or investor lives overseas, the paperwork changes, and so does the reporting.
Which kind of company?
Founders in Japan usually choose between two kinds. Either suits a founder abroad, and either can be the company behind a Business Manager visa.
- Owned and run by
- GKIts members, who also run it
- KKShareholders own it; directors — people only — run it
- Articles
- GKSigned by the members; no notary
- KKSigned by the founding shareholders, then certified by a notary
- Paying in the capital
- GKA receipt for each contribution is proof — no Japanese bank account needed
- KKInto a bank account: in Japan, a Japanese bank's branch abroad, or a foreign bank's branch in Japan
- Registration tax
- GK0.7% of capital, at least ¥60,000
- KK0.7% of capital, at least ¥150,000
- Often chosen for
- GKHolding property, or a business its owners run themselves
- KKBusiness partners who expect one, or raising investment later
Not sure which? A firm can advise you.
What changes when members live abroad
A signature, not a seal
サイン証明書Those abroad prove their signature with a certificate from an embassy, consulate or notary, issued within three months — in a KK, every founding shareholder does.
An address, by affidavit
宣誓供述書Members abroad prove where they live with an official document or a sworn affidavit, translated into Japanese.
Names in katakana
カタカナ表記Registration records a foreign name in katakana, so the portal asks for it.
A company as an owner
職務執行者・法人株主A company abroad can own part of it. In a GK it names the person who acts for it; in a KK it can hold shares but not be a director.
Paying in the capital
払込を証する書面In a GK, the representative's receipt for each contribution is proof. A KK pays it into a bank account — a Japanese bank's branch abroad counts.
A report on foreign investment
外為法When owners abroad hold 10% or more, a report goes through the Bank of Japan within 45 days of registration.
The stops, and who handles each
Ninka keeps every stop on one file, for you and your firm. It does not file anything itself.
- DetailsYou give them; your firm confirms
- ArticlesYour firm drafts; the founders sign
- NotarisationKK only — your firm, at a notary
- Capital paid inYou, after the articles are made
- RegistrationA judicial scrivener, or the representative
- FDI reportYour firm, within 45 days
- Bank accountOptional
- Tax noticesYour tax accountant, within 2 months
Then the visa to run it
Business Manager 経営・管理
The rules since October 2025. The eligibility check tells you which you already meet.
Check if you qualify- Capital of at least ¥30,000,000 — the rule since October 2025.
- Business premises that are not a home.
- One full-time employee who is a Japanese national, permanent resident, spouse or long-term resident.
- JLPT N2 or equivalent, held by you or a full-time employee.
- Three years managing a business, or a related master's, doctorate or professional degree.
- The business plan must also be reviewed by a 中小企業診断士, 公認会計士 or 税理士.
Start on your own, or with a firm.
Give the company’s details and its people in your own language and gather the documents. When you’re ready, choose a firm to draft the articles and file — or choose one first.