Japan: Team Member Nationality Requirements

Incorporation and startup requirements are generally stricter for aliens as compared to Japanese citizens. At the very least, the requirement for a representative director residing in Japan means that teams establishing subsidiaries or incorporating an entirely new firm must include at least one legal resident in Japan with a minimum permanent residency status, as other visa types (including work visas) are inflexible with regards to changes in job status or work permissions. Above and beyond a permanent resident, a representative director with Japanese nationality would be optimal for incorporating anew or establishing a company subsidiary in Japan.

For a pre-existing company, such as a KK or a GK whose incorporation process has already been successfully completed (and thus on whose team there already exists a Japanese resident or national) the process of obtaining work visas is relatively simple.

Key sources

Governmental information on visas to Japan

More on working visas to Japan

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