Japan Geography, Culture, and Politics

Japan is an island country in the Pacific with varied geography as well as cultural landmarks such as the many shrines and temples which are a symbol of Japanese religion, Shintoism. Japan is an industrial center with many technological hubs such as the vehicle manufacturing and electronic industries. Japan is also widely known for its technological innovation and advancement, as evidenced by the electric bullet trains that connect the islands. Japanese culture is both respective of ancient tradition as well as continuously evolving. It comprises both traditional Japanese sports like sumo, karate, and martial arts along with modern entertainment and aspects of social culture adapted from the West. Japan has both a functioning if volatile democracy, with a lot of recent turnover in political leadership, as well as a monarchy where the emperor’s power is limited to ceremonial duties only.

Public Holidays

2021
March 19	Spring Equinox
April 29	Shōwa Day
May 3	Constitution Memorial Day
May 4	Greenery Day
May 5	Children’s Day
July 22	Sea Day
July 23	Sports Day
August 8	Mountain Day
August 9	Day off for Mountain Day
September 20	Respect for the Aged Day
September 22	Autumn Equinox
November 3	Culture Day
November 23	Labor Thanksgiving Day

Legal Entity Types

株式会社 (kabushiki gaisha or kabushiki kaisha, “K.K.” (usually translated in company names as “Company, Limited”/”Co., Ltd.”)
有限会社 (yūgen gaisha or yūgen kaisha, “Y.K.”)
合名会社 (gōmei gaisha or gōmei kaisha, “GMK”)
合資会社 (gōshi gaisha or gōshi kaisha, “GSK”)
任意組合 (nin’i kumiai, “NK”)
匿名組合 (tokumei kumiai, “TK”)
投資事業有限責任組合 (tōshi jigyō yūgen sekinin kumiai)
有限責任事業組合 (yūgen sekinin jigyō kumiai)

Taxation

Corporate Tax: 29.74%
Income Tax (Lowest Marginal Rate): 15.105% (5.105% national + 10% local)
Income Tax (Highest Marginal Rate): 55.945% (45.945% national + 10% local)
VAT/GST/Sales Tax: 10% (standard rate), 8% (groceries and takeout food)

Available Banks

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (Commercial Bank)
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (Commercial Bank)
Banco do Brasil S.A. (Commercial Bank)
Bangkok Bank (Commercial Bank)
Bank of Communications (Commercial Bank)
Bank of India (Commercial Bank)
China Construction Bank (Commercial Bank)
Chinatrust Commercial Bank (Commercial Bank)
Commerzbank AG (Commercial Bank)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Commercial Bank)
DBS Bank (Commercial Bank)
Depfa Bank (Commercial Bank)
ING Bank (Commercial Bank)
Itaú Unibanco (Commercial Bank)
Korea Exchange Bank (Commercial Bank)
Lloyds Bank plc (Commercial Bank)
Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (Commercial Bank)
National Australia Bank (Commercial Bank)
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (Commercial Bank)
Philippine National Bank (Commercial Bank)
Bank Negara Indonesia (Commercial Bank)
Rabobank Nederland (Commercial Bank)
Standard Chartered Bank (Commercial Bank)
State Bank of India (Commercial Bank)
The Bank of Nova Scotia (Commercial Bank)
UniCredit (Commercial Bank)
Union de Banques Arabes et Françaises (Commercial Bank)
United Overseas Bank (Commercial Bank)
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (Commercial Bank)
WestLB AG (Commercial Bank)
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Foreign Bank)
Bank of New York Mellon (Foreign Bank)
Barclays (Foreign Bank)
BNP Paribas (Foreign Bank)
Citi (Foreign Bank)
Crédit Agricole (Foreign Bank)
Credit Suisse (Foreign Bank)
Deutsche Bank (Foreign Bank)
HSBC (Foreign Bank)
JPMorgan Chase (Foreign Bank)
Royal Bank of Canada (Foreign Bank)
Société Générale (Foreign Bank)
State Street (Foreign Bank)
The Royal Bank of Scotland (Foreign Bank)
UBS AG (Foreign Bank)

Need more information about Japan?

Aadmi can support you with your expansion to Japan. Our team of experts in country manage every aspect of your expansion from incorporation, accounting, legal, and even administrative concerns. Matched with Global People Strategist’s powerful labor compliance software, your company is in good hands.

Contact us today for more information about how your company can benefit from using Aadmi as your global expansion partner.