COMPANY FORMATION

Company formation in Japan: coordinate the steps that matter.

The choice of legal form, registration, banking and residence planning is often misunderstood as one process. We help you prepare meaningful questions and communicate with the right specialists.

Describe Your Situation → See project-wide budgets ↗

01 / What to think about before a consultation

What to think about before a consultation

Who will invest in and manage the company?
Where will the representative be based?
What are the activities and proposed business address?
What registration and banking documents already exist?

02 / KIZUNA

How KIZUNA can help

Arrange qualified consultations about registration and associated questions.
Support interpretation, general document correspondence and schedules.
Clarify which fees belong to your professional and which to KIZUNA.

A MORE PRACTICAL GUIDE

Incorporation is one milestone, not the whole launch

A registration is meaningful only if the company can take its next practical steps. We combine the licensed formation process with communication and follow-through for post-registration requirements agreed in the scope.

THE OPTIONS

Understand your options

GK / LLC

A separate legal entity with its own members and governance structure; often considered for closely held businesses.

KK / Joint-stock company

A separate legal entity often selected for shareholder or investor requirements.

Foreign company branch

The foreign company operates through a registered Japanese branch; review home-country documents and Japanese tax exposure before choosing.

DOCUMENTS & INFORMATION

What to prepare initially

Identity and residence information of owners and directors
Basic entity details (name, address, business purpose, fiscal year, capital)
Payment evidence and signatory documents specified by the registrar
Overseas corporate certificates or translated documents where a corporate founder is involved
Planned post-registration banking and operations requirements

A professional will confirm the complete, case-specific document list. Please do not send passports or financial records in the initial inquiry form.

THE ROADMAP

What happens, step by step

Choose entity and business address

Confirm founders, ownership, directors, activities, business location and any immigration dependency.

Lead: Client + advisers

Prepare formation documents

Gather signatures, certificates, articles and funding evidence in the form requested by the specialist.

Lead: Client + registration professional

Register and obtain records

An authorised professional handles filings and registration; confirm issued registry documents and next tasks.

Lead: Registration professional

Complete post-formation handoff

Coordinate tax notices, bank preparation, permits and hiring notifications as applicable.

Lead: Relevant professionals + KIZUNA

IMPORTANT BEFORE YOU COMMIT

Scope, timing and things that can change the budget

JETRO’s sample process covers business preparation, registration, tax notifications and bank application; bank approval is an independent decision.
A corporation-formation notification to the national tax office is generally due within two months of domestic incorporation; additional elections can have earlier deadlines.
Office rent, paid-in capital, banking due diligence and immigration work are not implicitly included in a formation-only estimate.

See the estimated whole-project budgets →

Questions people ask before engaging

Does your quoted total include registration taxes?

The standard incorporation examples on our cost page include typical official registration/incidental expenses. The detailed quote lists the actual practitioner fees and official charges.

Can a non-resident own the company?

Japanese official guidance permits formation where all representative directors live overseas, but signatory evidence, paying capital, banking and any immigration plans require careful handling.

Sources for this guide

Checked against the linked official guidance on 24 October 2026. This is general information, not an individual legal, tax or immigration determination. Public rules and interpretations can change; a relevant licensed professional must review the current requirements before acting.

THE COMPLETE PICTURE

What might the whole process cost?

We estimate the whole standard project, including the qualified professionals and routine English-language coordination—without charging twice for everyday interpretation or translation.

INDICATIVE TOTAL CUSTOMER BUDGET¥320,000–¥420,000standard GK incorporation, including usual bilingual support

An estimated whole-project cost covering a registration specialist, standard English-language communication, coordination and ordinary filing expenses.

ILLUSTRATIVE COMPLETE PROJECT BUDGET

Example: standard GK incorporation

A single planning example covering the described standard scope, with routine bilingual support already included in the relevant service fee. Not a binding quote.

Licensed incorporation specialistProfessional fee¥200,000

Registration tax, certificates and routine expensesOfficial costs¥74,550

KIZUNA project management + standard bilingual supportKIZUNA (includes routine language support)¥40,000

Estimated consumption tax on taxable feesTax¥24,000

Estimated overall customer payment for this example¥338,550

Routine English-language calls, coordination and ordinary correspondence within the agreed scope are included—not added again as a separate interpretation fee. Filing costs and tax treatment vary by case.

Not included in this illustration

Business capital, unusually extensive certified translations, a residence application, office rental, bank account assistance and uncommon legalisation expenses.

These are market-aligned budget examples, not a fixed quote or a guarantee of outcome. Ordinary English-language coordination, agreed meetings and routine correspondence are already included in the scoped service fees; exceptional or certified translations are quoted separately only if needed. Licensed professionals independently contract for regulated work. You receive an itemised total estimate before paid work begins.

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Who is responsible for regulated work

Company registration filings and legal advice must be handled by qualified practitioners. We do not prepare or submit registration applications.

FAQ

Common questions

Does a GK automatically cost less to establish than a KK?

Statutory costs and professional fees vary with the structure and matter. Obtain a written quote separating the two.

Can I register while overseas?

Japan’s Ministry of Justice provides guidance for foreign nationals and overseas residents. Each matter still requires the proper documentation.

Will the same fee include banking and visas?

Not automatically. We advocate separate line items and advisers for each service.

Official starting points

Official guidance may change; check the issuing authority for the latest version.

JAPAN GUIDE