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Japan

A practical guide for tech companies selling to Japanese corporates and using Japan as a base in North Asia.

Large corporate buyersStartup visa routePublic support on arrival

#12in the Global Innovation Index 2025

Source: WIPO, GII 2025

2 yearsmaximum stay on the Startup Visa while preparing to set up a business

Source: JETRO, visas

¥30Mminimum investment for the Business Manager status, raised in October 2025

Source: JETRO, visas

30.64%effective corporate tax rate for larger companies from April 2026 (lower bands for SMEs)

Source: JETRO, tax rates 2026

Why Japan

Large corporate buyersManufacturers, banks and trading companies buy technology from abroad and run partnership programs with foreign firms.
Public support on arrivalJETRO offers free temporary office space for up to 50 business days and advice on setup, hiring and visas.
A startup visa routeTokyo and other cities run a Startup Visa that lets founders stay for up to 2 years while they prepare to set up a company.

Source: JETRO, Invest Japan · JETRO, visas

Priority sectors

SectorMain hubWho to know

Mobility and advanced manufacturingNagoyaSTATION Ai

Fintech and asset managementTokyoFinCity.Tokyo

Life sciences and healthcareTokyo (Nihonbashi)LINK-J

Industrial technology and manufacturingOsakaOsaka Business and Investment Center (O-BIC)

Source: JETRO, Invest Japan

How companies enter

Step 1Soft landingA first stay using a free JETRO temporary office, with meetings booked in advance and materials in Japanese.
Step 2Partner or pilotA pilot with a Japanese corporate, or a deal with a distributor or trading company, often still billed from home.
Step 3Local companyA Godo Kaisha (GK) or Kabushiki Kaisha (KK, with notarised articles), registered at the Legal Affairs Bureau.

Founders can start on the Startup Visa, run with local governments such as Tokyo, and have up to 2 years to meet the Business Manager requirements (¥30 million invested and one full-time employee).

Source: JETRO, visas · Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Costs to plan for

Company setup (GK, or KK with notarised articles) and registration at the Legal Affairs Bureau
Capital of ¥30 million if the founder needs Business Manager status
Tax accountant, payroll and social insurance
Translation, Japanese-speaking staff and office rent in Tokyo or Osaka

Source: JETRO, setting up a company · JETRO, tax rates 2026

Who can help

JETRO Invest Japan ↗Japan External Trade Organization: free support for foreign companies setting up in Japan Business Development Center Tokyo ↗Tokyo Metropolitan Government desk for foreign companies, including the Tokyo startup visa O-BIC ↗One-stop center for foreign companies entering Osaka, run by the prefecture, city and chamber of commerce J-Startup ↗METI program that backs Japan's leading startups and links them with corporates STATION Ai ↗Open innovation hub in Nagoya with more than 700 startups, corporates and investors

06 · How uGlobally can help

Plan your entry with Orbis

Orbis, our internationalization platform, checks if your company is ready, compares Japan with other markets for your case and builds your entry plan, with the partners, potential clients and events to start with.

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Rules, rates and costs change often, so check the current conditions with the sources above before you plan around them.

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