How the pieces fit together
Legal form
Choose a representative office, a branch, or a Japanese subsidiary, and complete registration where required.
People and banking
Arrange the residence status of staff who will work in Japan, and a bank account in a name that can sign a lease.
Property
Search, view, and contract a premises whose use, services, and restoration terms fit the shop.
Design and permits
Design the interior, consult the health centre and fire station, build, and complete inspections.
Open
Utilities, signage, printed matter, staff training, and a test run before the opening day.
1. Legal form and registration
- Decide whether you need only a representative office (no direct business; usually cannot lease in its own name) or a branch or subsidiary that can trade and rent property. JETRO’s comparison is the starting point.
- For a Japanese company, follow the Ministry of Justice procedures (articles of incorporation, capital payment, and registration at the Legal Affairs Bureau that has jurisdiction over the head office). For a foreign company’s office in Japan, use the foreign-company registration process.
- JETRO suggests allowing about three months for setting up a business base, because the work is generally done in Japanese and often involves a judicial scrivener or similar professional.
- After registration, there are tax, pension, and labour filings. JETRO describes these post-registration notifications in its “Setting Up Business” series.
- Inward direct investment may require a prior notification or a subsequent report under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. JETRO notes that a subsequent report to the Bank of Japan is, in principle, due within 45 days after establishment, while some businesses need a prior notification. Confirm the current rule with the Bank of Japan or a qualified professional. We do not list industry categories here.
- JETRO’s Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) offers consultations on setting up and expanding a base in Japan.
2. Residence status
If a foreign national will manage or work at the store in Japan, an appropriate status of residence is required. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan publishes the criteria for statuses such as “Business Manager” (keiei-kanri). Those criteria have been revised, so this article does not quote capital, staffing, or language thresholds. Please read the current official page, or ask the Agency or an immigration professional, before you set a start date.
3. Property
Search and viewing
- Gather listings, including inuki (existing fit-out) and skeleton (bare) premises. See the property guide.
- Confirm that the intended use is allowed under zoning and the building’s authorised use.
- Walk the space with a designer. Our viewings take about one hour and include measurements, a check of remaining fixtures, and photographs.
Before you sign
- When rent starts, and how the deposit is treated.
- Who owns leftover fixtures, and the restoration condition at the end of the lease.
- Exhaust, drainage, gas, and electrical capacity for your use.
- Photograph the condition at contract.
4. Design, construction, and official applications
| Item | What to arrange |
|---|---|
| Design and estimate | Hearing, site survey, basic design (about one week to ten days on this site), and estimate (usually within one week after the design). When design and construction are commissioned together, design, basic planning, and perspective drawings are at no charge. Estimates are free. |
| Health centre (food businesses) | Pre-consult with drawings before construction. Apply around ten days before planned completion in Tokyo. Appoint a food sanitation supervisor. Prepare a hygiene-management plan. Pass the facility inspection and receive the permit before opening. Details: restaurant permits. |
| Fire station | In Tokyo, file a construction-plan notification at least seven days before relevant work, and a use-start notification at least seven days before use. Appoint a fire-prevention manager if the building requires it. Specify flame-retardant furnishings. Details: fire and building rules. |
| Building official | Check whether a change-of-use confirmation or a confirmation for large-scale repair is required, and whether interior-finish restrictions apply. |
| Other applications | Our opening chart also lists applications to the police where they apply, and start-of-use procedures for telephone, water, electricity, and gas. Late-night alcohol service or entertainment uses can involve extra notifications; confirm with the local police station. We do not describe those criteria here. |
| Construction | Published construction periods on this site range, by type, from about one week to around 60 days. See the table in the fit-out guide. Night work is available. |
5. Opening preparations
- Name and logo
Needed also for signage design. Our opening chart notes that several logo options are submitted.
- Printed matter
Order menus, direct mail, and shop cards about three weeks before opening. These are charged separately from construction.
- Fire-manager course
If a fire-prevention manager must be appointed, complete the required course and filing in time for opening.
- Test run
Our opening chart notes about one to four weeks of training and a test run to adjust circulation, air-conditioning, and lighting.
Shop Design Laboratory works in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. We can accompany viewings, design and build the interior as one project, file required official applications, and attend inspections with you. Company registration, visas, and tax filings remain a matter for the official bodies and professionals listed below.
Sources
- JETRO, “Types of operation in Japan” and model case commentary — legal forms, leasing, and an allowance of about three months to establish a base.
- JETRO, Setting Up Business — registration, post-registration filings, visas, and tax overviews.
- JETRO, Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC).
- Ministry of Justice, procedures for incorporating a Kabushiki-Kaisha.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, status of residence “Business Manager” — confirm current criteria on this page.
- Health-centre and fire-station sources are listed in the permit and fire and building articles.
- Shop Design Laboratory, English process page, opening chart, and company profile.
This guide is not legal advice. It is general information for planning a store in Japan, checked against official sources on 13 November 2026 (JST). Laws, ordinances, fees, and forms differ by municipality and can change. Please confirm the current rules with the competent authorities — for example the local health centre, fire station, building official, Legal Affairs Bureau, or Immigration Services Agency — and with qualified professionals.
Talk through your opening plan
Shop Design Laboratory (Design Directors Co., Ltd.) provides store design and construction as one project in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. When you commission both design and construction, design, basic planning, and perspective drawings are provided at no charge. Consultations and estimates are free. We can accompany a property viewing and file required official applications on your behalf.
Phone hours: weekdays 9:00–18:00 (Japan time). International: +81-3-6279-3077. You may use the contact form, call, or email us.