Blog
Practical guidance on Japan market entry, visas, subsidiary setup, and building a local team.
July 24, 2026
San Francisco to Tokyo: How to Actually Communicate With Your Japan Team Without Losing Sleep
A practical guide for SF/Bay Area founders setting up in Japan — the real overlap window between Pacific Time and JST, and how to structure communication with your Japan-side team so nobody is emailing at 3am.
July 16, 2026
Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa: A Month-by-Month Plan for the ¥30M Threshold
Japan's Startup Visa gives founders up to two years to build toward the Business Manager visa's post-2025 requirements — ¥30M capital, a qualifying full-time hire, and N2/B2 Japanese. Here's how to pace capital, hiring, language, and office decisions across that window.
July 16, 2026
Case Study: Halving a Construction Company's Laptop Costs with the IT導入補助金 (IT Introduction Subsidy)
How we helped a construction company acquire laptops at roughly half price under IT導入補助金2025, with our own reservation system serving as the qualifying software — and what the subsidy's timing and compliance rules mean for your own application.
July 16, 2026
Gyoseishoshi vs Shihoshoshi vs Zeirishi vs Sharoushi: Who Actually Does What in a Japan Market Entry
Japan splits the work of a market entry across four licensed professions — immigration filings, corporate registration, tax, and labor/social insurance. Here's exactly which specialist handles which step, in what order, and why no single one of them can run your entry end-to-end.
July 16, 2026
A Day in the Life of a Smart PM
What a Smart PM actually does day-to-day: coordinating gyoseishoshi, shihoshoshi, tax accountants, and labor consultants so a foreign founder briefs one person in English instead of five specialists in Japanese.
July 13, 2026
Business Manager Visa Renewal: What Changes After Year One
Renewal isn't a formality — Immigration re-checks capital, staffing, and business performance. Here's what's assessed at renewal and what happens if your ¥30M capital has been partially spent.
July 10, 2026
Our Top Cases of 2026
A closer look at our three most representative Japan market entry engagements — a lean SaaS Startup Visa launch, a real seven-location restaurant-group expansion we co-invested in, and an enterprise subsidiary rollout — with real budget ranges and scope.
July 7, 2026
EOR vs Incorporation: How to Decide for Your Japan Entry
An Employer of Record lets you hire 1–4 people in Japan within weeks without a local entity. Incorporation is necessary once you need visa sponsorship or hit the 4–6 employee break-even point. Here's the decision framework.
June 30, 2026
Hiring Your First Employee in Japan: What Founders Get Wrong
Japanese employment law strongly favors employees — dismissal without objectively reasonable grounds is illegal, and courts side with employees in most contested terminations. Here's contract structure, registration requirements, and how your first hire can satisfy the visa's language rule.
June 23, 2026
Corporate Banking in Japan: Documents, Timelines, and What Banks Actually Ask For
Corporate bank account opening is consistently the most underestimated obstacle in Japan market entry. Here's what documentation banks expect, realistic timelines, and how megabanks compare to regional and digital alternatives.
June 16, 2026
What Is a COE (Certificate of Eligibility) for Japan?
A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is a pre-clearance document from Japan's Immigration Services Agency that founders need before applying for a Business Manager visa abroad. Here's who needs one, the process, timeline, and common rejection reasons.
June 9, 2026
Business Manager Visa Japan: 7 Mistakes That Cause Delays or Rejection (2026 Rules)
Japan's Business Manager visa rules changed in October 2025 — capital, staffing, and language requirements all rose. Here are the 7 mistakes still causing delays under the new rules.
June 2, 2026
GK vs KK: Which Japan Company Structure Should You Choose?
A Godo Kaisha (GK) is cheaper and simpler; a Kabushiki Kaisha (KK) carries more credibility with banks and enterprise clients. Here's how to choose, including how each interacts with the ¥30M Business Manager visa capital rule.
May 26, 2026
Japan Business Manager Visa 2026: Founder's Entry Checklist
The October 2025 rules raised the Business Manager visa capital bar to ¥30M. Here's how to sequence entity setup, visa, banking, and hiring in 2026.