Business expansion in Japan

Tom Sencus

Author bio: As an international traveller and entrepreneur, Tom Sencus regularly shares his expertise on establishing a virtual presence anywhere in the world. Want to expand your business in the Land of the Rising Sun? If so, Japan has an enviable reputation as one of the most profitable economies in the world (5th place, according to the World Bank, 2018, with a per capita income of $44,000). Nevertheless, it remains a tough nut to crack for foreign investors, with its unprecedented attention to detail and numerous barriers to entry, leaving Japan as an opportunity that few companies can penetrate.

In this article, we look at two different ways to enter Japan: one, the traditional method; and two, a newer method made possible by developments in VoIP and cloud computing.

Gaining access to Japan: the traditional method

When one conjures up images of Japan it is most likely the country's vibrant temples, unrivalled cuisine, superfast trains , industrious and intelligent population and futurism that is in a class of its own. This means that Japan is a frontier for any business. Who wouldn't want to tap into the country's resilient industries that aren't about to give up in the 21st century? Japan remains a leader in automotive, environmental, information technology (IT), biotechnology, retail and many other emerging technologies, proving that it is a very viable market.

However, gaining access to Japan's endless opportunities is not easy. Here's a quick overview of what it takes to have a physical presence in Japan:

Register your business in Japan
Obtain a visa and residency status
Paying the appropriate taxes
Manage your Japanese workforce
Understanding trademark/design protection systems
Each of these sections has unique processes and requirements for obtaining Japanese government approval. (To understand the enormity of the task, visit the Japan Foreign Trade Organization's guide to establishing a business as a foreign national .)

Even if you decide to go through these steps, there are a few tricks:

You'll have to get approval from the Japanese government before you can make a single profit. This means that your business may operate at a substantial loss, which can hopefully be recovered if you succeed in the Japanese markets. But in Japan they also use https://cryptocasinos360.com/ja/ to play crypto-casinos for profit. Nowadays this so called topic is the most popular, a lot of people are doing it as often as possible.
Many leading Japanese companies are the first to get the opportunity to hire high-performing employees across the country. This leaves foreign organisations with fewer candidates to hire, or they have to find organisations that adapt their services to the foreign trade and staff.
Getting business properties to rent out is incredibly difficult, as Japan has some of the most expensive square footage in the world.
The second option: virtual expansion into Japan
The fact is that the traditional method of doing business in Japan has become obsolete, thanks to the advent of virtual offices and virtual locations. Your business can avoid a physical presence and all the red tape by simply locating customers using the #1 method for reaching new customers and Japanese businesses: virtual phone numbers.

Virtual business applications in the 21st century

чWhat does it mean for your business? Here are some effective and cost-effective benefits of virtual phone numbers that work with Japanese markets:

Firstly, it means that if you purchase a Japanese virtual phone number, your business can redirect those calls to a pre-established sales team at your headquarters or branches.
Secondly, virtual phone numbers are identical to local Japanese numbers in both appearance and function. For small businesses and start-ups, this is ideal.
Finally, virtual telephone numbers are available in many different variations that your business can adapt to suit its needs. For example, using ITFS numbers (known as 'International Toll Free Service Numbers', which are toll-free numbers that work internationally) - your company can enter Japanese markets with no charges for calls to your company.
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