Japanese Law Support for Your Business
We advise on internet and technology businesses, payments and financial regulation, financial-crime compliance and international commercial transactions. The examples below illustrate matters you can raise in an initial enquiry. The services and deliverables for each matter are agreed individually.
Starting a Company and Doing Business in Japan
We assist overseas companies and individual entrepreneurs who want to establish a company and do business in Japan. Our support can begin with company formation and incorporation registration and continue through the legal arrangements needed to launch and operate the business.
If you are considering offering a service to customers in Japan or working with a Japanese partner, an early legal review can also help clarify the rules relevant to your proposed model.
- Support with establishing a Japanese company, preparing incorporation documents and completing incorporation registration.
- Legal support from company formation through business launch, including commercial contracts and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Assessing which Japanese regulatory requirements may apply to an internet, technology or payments service.
- Reviewing the proposed roles of overseas entities, Japanese entities and business partners.
- Identifying registration, notification and contractual issues for further action.
- Reviewing terms of service, privacy policies, advertising and customer-facing arrangements.
Depending on the engagement, our work may include a Japanese-law issues memorandum, contract comments or a list of legal steps to address before launch.
Payments, FinTech and Financial Regulation
For businesses developing payment services, working with payment providers or reviewing their regulatory position in Japan, we help analyse how the legal framework applies to the actual service and flow of funds.
- Card payments, cashless payments and payment services.
- The Payment Services Act, Installment Sales Act, Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and related regulations.
- Legal analysis of a proposed service or changes to an existing business model.
- Registrations, notifications, regulatory engagement and internal policies.
- Review of agreements with business partners and service providers.
AML/CFT and Financial-Crime Compliance
We assist with understanding Japanese requirements and reviewing compliance arrangements in light of a business’s activities and risks. This can be relevant when comparing a global compliance policy with Japanese requirements or evaluating controls for a new service.
- The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, FATF Recommendations and supervisory guidance.
- Risk assessments, customer due diligence and beneficial-ownership requirements.
- Transaction monitoring and suspicious-transaction controls.
- Review of internal policies and identification of gaps between existing arrangements and applicable requirements.
- Economic sanctions, foreign-exchange regulation and cross-border compliance.
Ryu Nakasaki has published extensively on these topics. See his profile and publications and our AML/CFT research resources.
Internet, Data and Technology
We advise on the commercial and regulatory questions that arise when developing, operating or changing digital services.
- Internet services, advertising, data use, gaming and e-commerce.
- Terms of service, privacy policies, licensing and commercial agreements.
- Legal review of new services and regulatory research.
- Contractual arrangements with platforms, vendors and other business partners.
Cross-Border Transactions and English-Language Contracts
We assist businesses and overseas counsel with Japanese-law issues in international transactions and with English-language commercial agreements.
- Drafting, reviewing and negotiating licensing, business collaboration and other commercial agreements.
- Advice on transactions with Japanese businesses and legal questions arising from doing business in Japan.
- Research on foreign laws and international standards, including comparisons with Japanese law.
- Identifying questions that require advice from counsel in another jurisdiction.
For a contract enquiry, please describe the transaction, the parties and their locations, the governing law if known, and the negotiation timetable. We will confirm what work we can undertake before requesting detailed documents.
Consumer and Commercial Regulation
- The Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, advertising regulation and consumer contracts.
- Installment sales, sales practices and representations.
- Review of customer terms and complaint-handling arrangements.
Litigation and Commercial Disputes
We welcome enquiries concerning litigation and commercial disputes. Please outline the issue, identify the parties and state any court date or other deadline so that we can assess whether we are able to assist.
Working with Overseas Counsel
Overseas law firms and in-house legal teams may contact us about a defined Japanese-law question or a broader business matter. It is helpful to specify the questions requiring advice, the intended use of the advice, the desired deliverable and the relevant deadline.
Next Steps and Fees
We review the matter and conduct a conflict check before confirming availability. Scope, deliverables and fees are explained separately for each engagement. Submitting an enquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.