Despite the fact that the Japanese economy is one of the most developed in the world, Japan has a very low investment attractiveness.
Foreign companies have to go through a thorny path to enter the Japanese market. However, there are industries where the country is more open to foreign investment than the United States and Europe, for example, the telecommunications industry.
In addition to the difficulties caused by a significant difference in culture and social norms, the first barrier for a foreign company will be obtaining an “investor visa”. To obtain it, a number of conditions must be met. First, the minimum size of the authorized capital should be 2.5 million rubles. Secondly, the company must have at least two employees, and they must be Japanese or foreigners with permanent residence in Japan, working full—time. Third, the company must have an office in Japan. The fourth is to submit documents to a branch of the Japanese Immigration Bureau and get approval, this process may take some time.
In 2015, the Japanese authorities launched a new visa program for startup visas, thanks to which these requirements do not need to be fulfilled, and an “investor visa” can be obtained in just 6 months. To apply, you need an application, a business plan, a step-by-step description of development, a resume, a document of residence in Japan confirming your intention to live in the country for at least another six months, a bank statement. It should be borne in mind that in some strategic zones of the country it is necessary to apply independently, in others it is possible to do it through an intermediary. However, for startups, attempts to get investments from large businesses can be no less serious problem: the Japanese are extremely conservative and are not inclined to risk making deals with little—known companies, especially foreign ones.
