Registration of Branch Office in Japan

If a foreign company wants to establish a branch office in japan, commercial registration is required at a legal affairs bureau. In addition to the registration, a prior notification can be required to the Minister of Finance and relevant minister(s) through the Bank of Japan in some cases of the nationality of the foreign company and business objectives.

1. Registered matter

Although registered matter depends on the type of foreign company, for example, following information is required for registration.

  • trade name
  • business objectives
  • location of principal office and branch office(s)
  • term of existence or causes for dissolution (if any)
  • amount of stated or paid-in capital
  • authorized capital 
  • particulars of shares to be issued 
  • number of shares already issued
  • names of directors, executive officers, accounting auditors and other officers
  • names and addresses of representative directors, representative executive officers or any other persons authorized to represent the company
  • the jurisdiction under which the foreign company was organized 
  • the  date of incorporation
  • the date of establishment of the branch office in Japan
  • names and addresses of representatives in Japan
  • information regarding public notice

2.  Documents for registration

For registration of the branch office, a representative in Japan must be registered on the commercial registration of the legal affairs bureau. Furthermore, At least one representative in Japan must have a residential address in Japan.  When a foreign company establishes a branch office in Japan, the following documents are usually needed to contain the above-mentioned matters and submit documents to the legal affairs bureau.

  • application for registration
  • affidavit or statutory declaration (with a certified translation) of the representative in Japan
  • application for submission of an impression of the seal of the representative in Japan
  • certificate of registration of personal seal of the representative in Japan. If the representative is a foreign citizen, a certificate of signature (with a certified translation) that is attested before consul or notarized by a notary public of the home country of the foreign company
  • power of attorney, if the application is executed by a proxy