Running a Business in Japan: The Legal & Financial Essentials

Taiwanese companies entering Japan hit a set of practical questions right away: which corporate structure to use, which contract terms are safe to sign, when tax obligations start, how to hire legally, and whether customer data collected in Japan can be moved back to Taiwan. AI teams face further questions about training on Japanese content and about who owns a model co-developed with a Japanese client. None of these touch the product itself, but all of them shape cost, risk, and the trust a company can build in the Japanese market. Five specialists work through those decisions: two attorneys and a certified tax accountant based in Japan, plus a lawyer and a finance professional with CFO experience based in Taiwan. Two Taiwanese founders join them, one already operating a company in Japan and one currently setting up. The programme runs from short talks on the Day 0 legal checklist, pre-departure legal traps, the taxes a new Japanese business meets, and how to staff a finance team, into two panels covering market entry and day-to-day operations. Doors open at 13:30 and the programme starts at 14:00, with no formal break and coffee and tea available throughout. Networking runs from 16:20 to 17:00. Questions submitted at registration are compiled and handed to every speaker beforehand. Admission is free, and the session is conducted in English with no interpretation.