“How long does it take from deciding to expand into Japan until you can actually start operating there” is a point many overseas companies worry about first. To get straight to the point, it is not unusual for it to take three to four months at the very least, and six to twelve months or more when licenses or visas are involved.
This article lays out how long each step of expanding into Japan takes, and explains the key points of designing your schedule.
- The Main Steps of Expanding into Japan and How Long They Take
- Additional Time When a License Is Required
- Additional Time When a Business Manager Visa Is Required
- Schedule Guidelines by Case
- Key Points for Shortening Your Schedule
- Common “Misjudged the Time” Patterns
- Also Factor In Coordination with Overseas Bases and the Effects of Time Differences
- Ongoing Procedures Arise After the Business Starts, Too
- What to Do When an Unexpected Delay Occurs
The Main Steps of Expanding into Japan and How Long They Take
Step 1: Deciding on Your Entry Policy and Structure (1–2 weeks)
The first step is deciding on the policy for how you will enter Japan. This includes important judgments that directly affect later procedures—which to choose among a subsidiary (Japanese corporation), a branch, and a representative office, and how to set the amount of capital and the business purpose.
Proceeding at this stage in consultation with a specialist lets you prevent rework later on.
Step 2: Preparing for Incorporation and Gathering Documents (2–4 weeks)
Once the basic matters are decided, you prepare the documents required for setup. When the representative resides overseas, you may need to obtain a substitute for the certificate of seal registration (such as a signature certificate from an overseas mission) or an apostille, and depending on the country, gathering documents alone can take two to three weeks.
Step 3: Notarizing the Articles of Incorporation and Registering Incorporation (2–3 weeks)
You draw up the articles of incorporation and have them notarized by a notary public (in the case of a joint-stock company), and apply to the Legal Affairs Bureau for registration of incorporation. From the registration application to its completion usually takes around seven to ten business days, though it depends on how busy the Legal Affairs Bureau is.
In the case of a limited liability company, notarization of the articles is not required, so this step can be somewhat shortened.
Step 4: Various Notifications and Opening a Bank Account (2–4 weeks)
After registration is complete, you make notifications to the tax office, the prefecture, and the municipality, and carry out social insurance procedures. Opening a corporate account can take time to be reviewed depending on the financial institution, and some banks have tightened their screening for foreign representatives and newly established corporations. Because opening an account alone can take more than a month in some cases, it is important to proceed with a comfortable margin.
Additional Time When a License Is Required
Depending on the industry, you cannot begin operating until you obtain a license after setting up the company. The standard review periods for the main licenses are as follows.
| Type of License | Standard Review Period |
| Restaurant business permit | About 2–3 weeks |
| Secondhand goods dealer permit | Within 40 days |
| Construction business license | About 30–60 days |
| Real estate brokerage license (governor’s license) | About 1 month |
| Worker dispatch business license | About 2–3 months |
| Industrial waste collection and transport license | About 60–90 days |
Fixed costs such as office rent and tax advisory fees accrue during the license review period as well. In addition, some licenses require you to put requirements in place in advance (capital, personnel, facilities, financial basis, and so on), and once that preparation period is included, the time from application to acquisition becomes even longer.
Additional Time When a Business Manager Visa Is Required
When the representative or an officer is a foreign national who will come to Japan to manage the business, a Business Manager visa (the “Business Manager” status of residence) must be obtained.
The standard processing period from application to approval of the Business Manager visa is said to be around one to three months at the Immigration Services Agency. However, if you are asked to submit additional documents or the review drags on, it can take even longer.
Also, because a visa application is premised on the completion of incorporation, securing an office, preparing a business plan, and so on, “starting the visa application only after setup is finished” results in a large loss of time. Advancing preparations for the visa application in parallel from the setup preparation stage leads to shortening the overall schedule.
Schedule Guidelines by Case
Case A: No License Required, No Visa Required (a Japan resident as representative)
| Step | Period |
| Policy decision and document preparation | 2–3 weeks |
| Registration of incorporation | 1–2 weeks |
| Notifications and account opening | 2–4 weeks |
| Total | About 1–2 months |
Case B: No License Required, with a Business Manager Visa
| Step | Period |
| Policy decision and document preparation | 2–4 weeks |
| Registration of incorporation | 1–2 weeks |
| Notifications and account opening | 2–3 weeks |
| Visa application to approval | 1–3 months |
| Total | About 3–5 months |
Case C: With a License and a Business Manager Visa
| Step | Period |
| Policy decision and document preparation | 2–4 weeks |
| Registration of incorporation | 1–2 weeks |
| Notifications and account opening | 2–3 weeks |
| Visa application to approval | 1–3 months |
| License application to acquisition | 1–3 months (depending on the type) |
| Total | About 4–8 months or more |
Key Points for Shortening Your Schedule
Run procedures that can go in parallel at the same time
You can shorten the overall period by making good use of waiting time—advancing the preparation of visa application documents while the registration of incorporation is under review, starting the bank account opening procedure right after registration is complete, and so on.
Eliminate defects in documents
If there is a defect in the application documents, correction and resubmission become necessary, and the review is delayed significantly. By having a specialist check things like how the business purpose is worded in the articles of incorporation and the content of the business plan for the visa application, you can prevent delays caused by defects.
Start arranging foreign-language documents early
Documents that require notarization or an apostille in your home country can take more time to arrange than expected. It is important to begin listing and arranging the required documents early, at the stage when your intention to enter Japan has firmed up.
Consult a specialist early
If you think “let me research it myself first and then consult,” preparation takes time, and fixed costs alone keep accruing during that period. Consulting a specialist at the stage when you start considering entry, and grasping the overall schedule and priorities, is in the end the shortest route.
Common “Misjudged the Time” Patterns
You thought “setting up a company can be done in a week”
There is information on the internet saying “setup possible in as few as X days,” but that is for cases where the documents are perfectly in order and the representative resides in Japan. When an overseas resident sets up the company, you need to build your schedule on the premise that gathering documents alone takes several weeks.
You got bogged down opening a bank account
Opening a corporate account for a foreign representative is subject to strict screening depending on the financial institution, and there are cases where it is refused. You need to factor in the time to approach multiple financial institutions as well.
The visa review dragged on
The Business Manager visa review can lead to a request for additional materials depending on the content of the documents. It is not unusual for the review to take more than three months, and you need to keep in mind the impact on your plans to stay in or travel to Japan during that time. Because your activities in Japan may be restricted during the review, it is important to design the timing of your travel and any temporary returns home with a comfortable margin.
Also Factor In Coordination with Overseas Bases and the Effects of Time Differences
When drawing up a schedule for expanding into Japan, something that tends to be overlooked is the issue of time differences and response times that come with coordinating with the overseas head office.
There are many situations that require approval and a response from the head office—confirming the content of the articles of incorporation and the business plan, signing and sealing documents, the timing of remitting the capital, and so on. When the head office is in Europe or North America, the time difference with Japan is around eight to fifteen hours, and it is not unusual for a single round trip of correspondence to take more than two days.
It is important to allow margin in your schedule, having accounted for such communication costs. In particular, because some incorporation documents are difficult to change once drawn up and notarized, it is important to keep to the order of obtaining the head office’s final confirmation before advancing the procedures.
Ongoing Procedures Arise After the Business Starts, Too
The schedule for expanding into Japan does not have “starting the business” as its goal. To keep running a company in Japan, periodic procedures like the following arise.
Tax filings: Filings for corporate tax, consumption tax, and local taxes are required every fiscal period (usually once a year). The filing deadline is within two months of the closing month.
Renewal of status of residence: A Business Manager visa is granted for a period of one, three, or five years. As the deadline approaches, a renewal application is required. The renewal application can be made starting three months before the deadline, and the continuity and stability of the business are reviewed afresh.
Registration of changes to officers or address: If a change of officers or a relocation of the head office occurs, a change registration is required within two weeks.
Renewal or change of licenses: Some licenses have a validity period and require a renewal application. Also, if there is a change in the business content or the place of business, a change notification may be required.
Managing your schedule with these “post-entry procedures” also in view leads to stable operation of your Japanese business.
What to Do When an Unexpected Delay Occurs
No matter how methodically you advance your preparations, unexpected delays can occur. Here are common causes of delay and how to deal with them.
Defects in documents and additional submissions: When Immigration or an administrative agency requests the submission of additional documents, responding quickly prevents the review period from dragging on. If you are applying through a specialist, proceed while consulting the specialist on your response approach.
Delays in remitting the capital: International remittances can take time depending on the sending bank, the receiving bank, the amount, and the purpose of the remittance. In particular, for a first-time international remittance, you may be asked to submit verification documents, so a schedule with margin is needed. Because a delay in remittance delays the very application for registration of incorporation, arranging it early is crucial.
Delays in the head office’s decision-making: The overseas head office’s schedule and decision-making process can affect the progress of the procedures on the Japan side. It is important to share in advance the lines of communication and response deadlines with the person in charge at the head office. Also, when the approval flow spans multiple departments, building a buffer of two to three weeks into the schedule is reassuring.
It varies greatly depending on the type of entry, the industry, and whether a visa is required. It is important to design your schedule on the premise that it takes one to two months even in cases where neither a license nor a visa is required, and four to eight months or more in cases where a Business Manager visa or a license is required.
Working backward from the goal of “by when do you want to start operating in Japan,” and starting your preparations early, is the key to a smooth expansion into Japan. At Touch Immigration Law Firm, our free initial consultation provides a sense of the schedule and priorities tailored to your situation. If you let us know your wish for “around when you’d like to start your business in Japan,” we can also present a draft schedule worked backward from that. Please feel free to consult us first.
