Doing Business in Japan
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Knowledge base on doing business in Japan. Topics: visas and immigration (including the Business Manager visa 経営・管理 and the October 2025 reform), company registration (株式会社/合同会社/個人事業主), taxes, legal issues and cases, documents and procedures (banking, offices, accounting, hiring), useful links and contacts, and other business-relevant topics (culture and mentality, networking, marketing, real estate, lending, insurance).
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Opening a bank account in Japan — general overview of the difficulties
General overview of the difficulties of opening a bank account in Japan for a foreign entrepreneur; details on specific banks and risks are in separate records.
Opening a bank account in Japan as a foreign entrepreneur is, by general consensus, one of the hardest parts of doing business here, comparable in difficulty to obtaining a Business Manager visa. Banks routinely refuse foreign directors of young companies, often without explanation, especially when the business is linked to Russia (the director's citizenship or incoming transfers) or to cryptocurrency. The topic breaks down into several large blocks: general risk factors and AML/sanctions-related screening; opening a personal account; opening a corporate account with a bank-by-bank rundown; and international transfers (SWIFT, Wise, crypto, cash). See: Bank account risk factors and red flags for foreigners. See: Personal bank account — bank-by-bank overview. See: Corporate bank account — bank-by-bank overview. See: International transfers for business in Japan — overview.