Launching in Japan
How foreign companies actually get started here: sales channels, agents, setting up a base.
- 01How Foreign Companies Decide to Shrink in Japan7 min
Japanese labor law puts dismissal last when a foreign company shrinks its Japan business. The four-factor test, filings, and what Ford and Hyundai did.
- 02Before HQ Gets Japan Employee Data: APPI Transfer Rules7 min
Under Japan's APPI, an overseas parent is a foreign third party. Pick consent or a conforming system before go-live and keep health data in Japan.
- 03Why Japanese Enterprise Buying Is Slow: It's the Queues7 min
In a 2026 survey, 76% said half or more of the stamps on a Japanese approval form only confirm. How ringi, PoCs and security reviews shape your first hires.
- 04Country Manager Pay in Japan: Split Person, Role, Result7 min
A global grade band rarely fits a Japan country manager. Public market ranges, and how to split base, role allowance, bonus and equity so pay survives change.
- 05KK, GK, Branch or Rep Office: Choose by Hiring and Exit7 min
Setup fees barely differ between Japan's entity forms. What differs is who employs your staff, which visas fit, and how long it takes to close.
- 06Hiring in Japan Through an EOR Before You Have an Entity8 min
Japan treats an employer of record as worker dispatch. Check the license, know the deemed offer rule and 3-year limit, and plan your own entity early.
- 07Eigyo Is Not One Job: What a Japanese Sales Title Hides7 min
Japan's job classification splits sales (eigyo) into 12 product categories and says nothing on how people sell. Ask where a candidate's customers came from.
- 08What Japanese Candidates Don't Ask Chinese Employers7 min
In a 2026 Workport survey of 308 users in Japan, 48.0% of those who check reviews had dropped a company over them. 34.5% never applied; 2.3% declined an offer.
- 0959% of Foreign Subsidiaries in Japan Changed Heads, 2002-077 min
A study of 554 established foreign subsidiaries in Japan found 59% changed their head in 2002-2007. After an expatriate head left, margins fell.
- 10When Your Direct Team and Resellers Chase One Customer7 min
Set rules before your direct team and resellers in Japan collide: deal registration like Dell's 90 days, named accounts, rep pay, and no fixing resale prices.