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A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

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Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#51

Post by nandemo »

mikekchar wrote: post #41
archseer wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm here on a study visa, arrived last year, so I do have a temporary residency status.

But the problem is that you can't change your study visa to a working visa (BTW, this is not legal advice! Make sure to check what I'm saying with a lawyer). So you will lose residency when you change visas. Potentially the easier way to go (assuming you are doing some high tech thing and you are getting an equivalent to an "engineering" degree -- CS should be fine) is to get a job and have the company sponsor your v…

> But the problem is that you can't change your study visa to a working visa (BTW, this is not legal advice! Make sure to check what I'm saying with a lawyer).

Sure you can, I have done it and I know tons of people who have too. Usually no lawyer required; assuming you have a degree (or is going to graduate soon) and you have a job offer, just apply at Immigration.

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shyorui/02....

Note that technically you don't "change visas" -- visa is something that's required in order to enter the country -- you change "status of residence". Usually people use the terms interchangeably, though.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#52

Post by mikekchar »

android521 wrote: post #44
mikekchar wrote: post #34

I haven't read the whole article, but it looks interesting. A couple of pointers/tips, though: The way expenses and depreciation are handled between godo kaisha and kabushiki gaisha are different. Make sure you understand those differences before you choose your path. There are advantages and disadvantages. The absolute first thing to do before you even see a lawyer is to find a good tax accountant. If you are Americ…

The downside is that if your relationship goes sour, your wife owns your company.

No. She's an employee (just like me). The share holders own the company.

Edit: Sorry. I think I misinterpreted what you were referring to. Yes, in the case that your spouse owns the company, they will own the company if you split. However, Japanese family law is pretty liberal when it comes to splitting assets anyway (Not entirely sure how it works for foreigners because they will get ousted from the family registry and family law will not apply to them). Basically, splitting up in Japan is tricky no matter what you do, so it is reasonable to exercise caution.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#53

Post by Sukotto »

po wrote: post #35

If you're reading this and are in Tokyo already you should come out to the Hacker News Tokyo reader meetup. It's a great place to find cofounders, talk shop and discuss these kinds of issues. We hold them once a month. You can sign up here and you'll get notified about the next one when it gets scheduled: https://hntokyo.doorkeeper.jp/ edit If you're not in Tokyo I know there's one in kansai too: http://hnkansai.org

It's a very friendly, engaging event and well worth your time. Jay and Paul are great hosts, and there's usually a nice mix of new people and regulars.

A few tips:

- You'll probably want to eat dinner before you go. (Drinks and light snacks are served but they're not substantial)

- Wear comfortable shoes since you'll be standing on concrete most of the time

- Most conversation is in English (in case you're worried it will all be Japanese)

- The entry of "Super Deluxe" looks sketchy and you might feel like you're heading downstairs to some kind of creepy strip club. Don't worry! It's not.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#54

Post by patio11 »

noobermin wrote: post #37
patio11 wrote: post #7

From my understanding, lawyers working with non-Japanese-speaking clients charge a premium. This is true for essentially all professional services in Japan (and, relatedly, can be true for renting depending on how one goes about that), and it is not driven entirely by costs. Partly, this is simply "You require something which is much harder to deliver than standard services; this restricts your labor pool by > 98% he…

Isn't it the same for any foreigner in any country? The US tries to be multicultural in some respects but not being able to speak English hampers you quite a bit too.

Suppose you are in the United States and your last name is Tanaka. You interview an accountant and ask for a proposal for bookkeeping and accounting for your software company. Suppose the accountant comes back with a proposal which quotes you including a line item for Japanese translation. (This is quite unlikely, but roll with it.)

You tell the accountant "Uh, thanks, but: we'll be working together in English." "Oh yes, that's good, we don't really speak Japanese." "Why are you quoting for Japanese translation then?" "To cover our increase costs of dealing with you." "So you... expected to hire an external translator?" "Well, no, more of an aggravational cost sort of issue rather than a direct cost sort of issue."

This would be cause for an absolutely nuclear reaction from the client in the US. In Japan, it's Tuesday.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#55

Post by romanovtexas »

laurieg wrote: post #46
romanovtexas wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope there's one in Fukuoka too, really miss the Tokyo meetup scene here.

There's no Hacker News meetups but there are a few general programmer meetups that might be of interest to you. If you are interested come to the meetup on Wednesday nights in AIP Cafe, Daimyo.

Wow, thank you so much for this; didn' t know it existed!

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#56

Post by mikekchar »

nandemo wrote: post #51
mikekchar wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the problem is that you can't change your study visa to a working visa (BTW, this is not legal advice! Make sure to check what I'm saying with a lawyer). So you will lose residency when you change visas. Potentially the easier way to go (assuming you are doing some high tech thing and you are getting an equivalent to an "engineering" degree -- CS should be fine) is to get a job and have the company sponsor your v…

> But the problem is that you can't change your study visa to a working visa (BTW, this is not legal advice! Make sure to check what I'm saying with a lawyer). Sure you can, I have done it and I know tons of people who have too. Usually no lawyer required; assuming you have a degree (or is going to graduate soon) and you have a job offer, just apply at Immigration. http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shy…

But this is exactly the problem. In the scenario you describe, the company is sponsoring you. In the situation that the OP is describing, they want to start a new company. But they can't do that without having an employee who is a resident. And they can't work for the company without having the company sponsor them. It's a catch 22. Like I said, I would check with a lawyer, but I'm 99% sure it can't be done. If you are already have a working status in the correct field, then it is no problem. But you can't change from one to the other without sponsorship. That was exactly the problem I faced trying to change my status from instructor to engineer and also trying to work for my own company without sponsoring myself.

Edit: I should also point out that hiring a part time Japanese resident fixes all the problems. But that was what the question was all about.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#57

Post by AdventurerSen »

agibsonccc wrote: post #50

I'm based in Tokyo now. It took me a while to find a good immigration firm. All I can say: I moved here from SF and it has worked out quite well for me. I run an enterprise company though. Part of what got me to move here was JETRO. If you are looking to start a startup in japan, they've been very helpful for us: http://jetro.go.jp/usa/topics/companies-chosen-global-innova... One caveat is we're enterprise though. Co…

I ran a Wordpress shop several years ago and tried to use the subsidiary route with advice from JETRO too. While the lady was very friendly and helpful, I kept getting a 'you don't make enough money, this is a waste of time' vibe from her.

If you're large enough and raking in enough money, they'd probably be more helpful.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#58

Post by Arkaad »

Cyph0n wrote: post #11
sogen wrote: post #3

Visa cost: ¥5M Y

What? Why would anyone migrate to Japan then? You'd think that they'd have started relaxing the requirements, given the low birthrates and shrinking labor pool.

Germany, Italy, Spain have similar low birthrates than Japan you know. They probably have less labor pool issues though.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#59

Post by nandemo »

mikekchar wrote: post #56
nandemo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the problem is that you can't change your study visa to a working visa (BTW, this is not legal advice! Make sure to check what I'm saying with a lawyer). Sure you can, I have done it and I know tons of people who have too. Usually no lawyer required; assuming you have a degree (or is going to graduate soon) and you have a job offer, just apply at Immigration. http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/kanri/shy…

But this is exactly the problem. In the scenario you describe, the company is sponsoring you. In the situation that the OP is describing, they want to start a new company. But they can't do that without having an employee who is a resident. And they can't work for the company without having the company sponsor them. It's a catch 22. Like I said, I would check with a lawyer, but I'm 99% sure it can't be done. If you a…

Ah, got it. If you're a student you can apply for a permit that allows you to work part-time. But I don't know if a part-timer would count as an employee of the new company.

Re: A Story Of Starting A Business In Japan

#60

Post by mikekchar »

nandemo wrote: post #59
mikekchar wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this is exactly the problem. In the scenario you describe, the company is sponsoring you. In the situation that the OP is describing, they want to start a new company. But they can't do that without having an employee who is a resident. And they can't work for the company without having the company sponsor them. It's a catch 22. Like I said, I would check with a lawyer, but I'm 99% sure it can't be done. If you a…

Ah, got it. If you're a student you can apply for a permit that allows you to work part-time. But I don't know if a part-timer would count as an employee of the new company.

Hmm... Actually, it might... Good point!
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