The official record of real property and corporate registry and Japanese culture.

Hi. It is Akiko HORI. Thank you for reading this.

Many people are involved in the purchase of real property. In this situation, it is crucial to check property information and an official corporate existence at the commencement of the transaction so that I apply online to the registration record on the website below.

Registration information service
http://www1.touki.or.jp/

Available only in Japanese but this Registration information service is a fee-based service that enables a user to check the official record about real property and corporate information online that the Legal Affairs Bureau has. This information cannot be used as an official certificate, but an estate agent and a lawyer check this information.

The information should be registered to be enforceable, but Japanese law recognises customary rights, such as the right for people to cross land, which may not be legally recorded (although they can be). In addition, historically, a landowner is likely reluctant to register their lease right, because they are afraid that the ownership of the land never returns from the lease holder. I will write about the lease right in Japan as a separate topic.

I, as a lawyer, fully recognise the importance of a contract and right, but there is a cultural background in Japan, such that harmony among people is regarded with greater respect than the contract itself, since ancient times. Regarding this subject, Kenzaburo Oe who received the Nobel Prize for literature mentioned it in “Japan,the ambiguous,and myself”.

If interested, the link is below.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1994/oe/lecture/

Having said that, in the Western society, this attitude is regarded as a fault, because people rather postpone problem-solving and don’t show their attitude clearly. However, on the positive side, people are not caught up in prejudice and take the time to fit the situation in the correct environment, which leads to a flexible solution.

I believe these ideas come from the different philosophies, and neither has superiority.
The registered information is inside the framework of Japanese administrative matters, but the system reflects culture in society.

I hope the information is useful.
I will update every Monday.
For more information https://lawhelp4u.com/english/how-to-buy-a-property-in-japan/

Japanese business consultant
Shihoshoshi Lawyer
(Judicial Scrivener)

Akiko HORI

My career and business experiences

Hello. It is Akiko HORI, Shihoshoshi lawyer in Japan. Today, I would like to talk about my career and business experiences.

I started my career at the Industrial Bank of Japan after my college graduation, and was in charge of reception and secretarial work. I wrote “my career”, but in reality, it was not as such, and I did only general office administration, but I enjoyed working there, because the bank was one of the leading banks in Japan. I saw many company executives and smart people, but I felt inferior at the same time, and decided to study something. I took the Secretarial Skills Test, 1st Grade, but I still felt it was not enough.

Since then, I was thinking what kind of qualification I should have, and I realised there are so many disputes in society, and I want to avoid those troubles. In addition, in order to know how society is structured when agreements and rights enter into the practical need to acquire knowledge and to avoid problems in advance, I studied for the Shihoshoshi Lawyer qualification exam, and passed the exam in 2006 and after 1 year’s work experience at a law firm, opened own law office in 2008.

While managing my own office, I focus on building business networks, performing daily legal work and registration work. However, as an individual, I cannot cover everything, so I need help some time, and I want to offer support. My work is a referral basis, and there are other people in society. Humans are social creatures.

Things might be hard especially for non-Japanese people in Japan, because in general, in Japan, co-operation with society is most important, and individual ideas and individual happiness tend to be ignored. However, when one door closes, a new door opens. I am here to help if needed.

I will update every Monday.
For more information
Japanese business consultant
Shihoshoshi Lawyer
(Judicial Scrivener)

Akiko HORI

How can we help?

A Guide about share capital for private limited companies in Japan.

The world economy has been hit by the worst economic contraction in its modern history as the coronavirus closed businesses and dampened consumer spending. However, The Japanese style is still a popular culture, and I found a new word, “Japandi” on Cambridge Words website. Some international investors keep saying to me that Japan still has a growing business potential in terms of the safety and security of the country and the power of private consumption.

Share capital is not linked to how much the company is worth, but investors must pay the company the full amount of their share capital. Because of trading activities, Japanese Yen is the most popular choice, but payment can be made in foreign currency. The exchange rate should be considered in case of foreign currency remittance, and the exchange rate shall be calculated on the payment day.

The legal affairs bureau will look over to validate the information contained in the Statement of Capital for each company registration.

A private limited company needs at least one shareholder for KK or member for GK, who can be a director.

I hope the information is useful.
I will update every Monday.
For more information

https://lawhelp4u.com/english/legal-advice-for-business-in-japan/
Japanese business consultant
Shihoshoshi Lawyer
(Judicial Scrivener)

Akiko HORI

Private limited companies

A private limited company can be a small or large business.

Under the current company law, one person can set up a private limited company. A private limited company has limited liability and these types of business have ‘株式会社(KK)’ or ‘合同会社(GK)’ before or after their business name in Japan. Only the trade name of a corporation can be registered with English alphabet, numbers and some symbols, such as “&(ampersand)”, “,(comma)”, “.(full stop)” and the like.

Any type of business can set up as a private limited company. ‘株式会社(KK)’ is likely to used for larger businesses, and ‘合同会社(GK)’ is for example, a(n) instructor, hairdresser, photographer, etc.

There is no such a big difference from both legal entities, but historically, ‘株式会社(KK)’ is a traditional form of a private limited company. On the other hand, ‘合同会社(GK)’ was introduced in 2016. The biggest difference is registration tax and notary public fee. Registration tax for ‘株式会社(KK)’ is 150,000 JPYen, and one for ‘合同会社(GK)’ is 60,000 JPYen. In addition, articles of incorporation of ‘株式会社(KK)’ should be notarised, which costs about 52,000 JPYen.

Private limited companies pay corporation tax. Corporation tax is a tax on the profits of a business. There is a lot of paperwork to found a private limited company, because the business has to register with the Legal Affairs Bureau, and file annual financial reports to the Tax Bureau.

I hope the information is useful.

I will update every Monday.

For more information

Japanese business consultant

Shihoshoshi Lawyer(Judicial Scrivener)

Akiko HORI

https://lawhelp4u.com/english/legal-advice-for-business-in-japan/