Fun Friday 29: Setting up a business in Japan

Fun Friday 29: Setting up a business in Japan

From Learn Japanese Pod by Alex Brooke

May 31, 2025

About this episode

Alex and Andy share their experiences and insights on setting up a business in Japan.

In this podcast, Alex and Andy talk about their experience setting up a company in Japan, why they did it and how! In this episode of Learn Japanese Pod, Andy and I dive into the world of starting a small business in Japan . We share our personal journeys of setting up our own company , the lessons we learned, and the surprises we encountered along the way. If you’re a foreigner living in Japan—or planning to move here—and you’ve ever thought about launching your own business, this episode is packed with useful insights and real talk. What We Talked About in This Episode Here are some of the main topics we covered: Why we decided to set up a company in Japan Our motivations, goals, and what pushed us to take the leap from freelance to incorporating. Types of companies you can register in Japan We break down common structures like the Godo Kaisha (GK) and Kabushiki Kaisha (KK) , and why we chose what we did. Legal and financial help – Do you need a lawyer or tax accountant? How we found help with paperwork, taxes, and navigating the legal landscape. The process of registering a company in Japan From choosing a company name to getting all the documents stamped, we share what was…

People in this episode

Host: Alex

Guest: Andy

Topics covered

  • setting up a business in Japan
  • personal experiences
  • company registration process
  • legal and financial help
  • hanko culture
  • business structures

Keywords

  • business in Japan
  • company registration
  • foreigners in Japan
  • hanko
  • Godo Kaisha
  • Kabushiki Kaisha
  • legal help
  • financial help

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Learn Japanese Pod

Places: Japan, Godo Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha

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