The latest information is here.
If you are a non-resident and you would like to establish your company in Japan, you have two hurdles to get over.
One is “Application for Visa”
and another is “Incorporation Procedure”.
(As for “Incorporation
Procedure”, we have already explained in detail on this Blog [Click here for related information ☝]).
When you establish your
company, you should become a manager (a representative director) of your
company. Then your visa category should be an "Investor/Business Manager
Visa". Of course you can come to Japan without the Investor/Business
Manager Visa, but you are allowed to stay in Japan only for three months with a
short-term visa (tourist visa).
You can apply for the "Investor/Business
Manager Visa" under the condition that your company has been established
in Japan. Therefore, you have to establish your company in Japan prior to your
visa application.
In order to establish a
company in Japan, at least one representative director has to be a resident of
Japan and he/she has to have an address in Japan.
If you would like to have
a Japanese address, you have to obtain a long-term visa (such as an Investor/Business
Manager Visa) in advance.
Therefore, you should
find your partner who has a Japanese address and you should establish your
company with your partner at first.
Next, in order to obtain
the "Investor/Business Manager Visa", you have to invest more than
six million yen in your company. In addition, your company has to lease an
office and it has to be equipped with telephones, faxes, copy machines and
computers, which indicates that the business is actually in operation.
Therefore, your company
has to make a leasing contract for its office, employ staffs and operate the
business actually before you obtain the visa.
Finally, you should make
and present necessary documents such as a Business plan, C.V. and an Application
for change of status of residence.
It will take about three months
from an application to an acquisition of your visa.
By the way we can help
you to incorporate your company and to apply for your visa at a reasonable fee.
It might be possible to
help you with only one part of the total procedures which you can specify or of
course we can undertake the whole procedure.
Moreover, we can advise
or counsel you on the legal matters of your company after incorporation.