Special corporate tax topics: proposed rate cuts, global minimum tax, inheritance tax, and the IT sector

METI proposed a 40% tax cut to encourage investment in 6 strategic fields including AI, semiconductors and space, plus an expanded R&D tax credit system; as of late November 2025 the bill had not been passed. Mentions of a corporate tax cut specifically for AI businesses are unconfirmed. R&D expenses can be deducted for tax purposes and can earn extra HSP points for R&D, but the depreciation period for R&D assets is substantially longer than usual, so the real savings may be smaller than expected — consulting a specialist is recommended. Separately, there was mention of an initiative to publish a list of jurisdictions with a working portal for filing the Global Information Return (GIR) under OECD Pillar Two / the Global Minimum Tax by May 31, 2026; as of the chat discussion the list had not yet been published, so its status should be checked independently. Inheritance tax (相続税) on a business can reach up to 55% of the company's value — one reason small family businesses (workshops, restaurants) are often not passed down and simply close, while larger families know how to optimize this tax; a mechanism exists for full exemption from inheritance tax under certain conditions of inheritance and taking over as director of an unlisted SME. Finally, unlike in some other countries such as Russia, IT companies in Japan have no special benefits on consumption tax or social insurance contributions — an opinion from the chat contrasting Japan with IT-sector benefits elsewhere, not an officially documented rule. Source: https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/pamph/jigyo-shokei/index.htm — Official NTA brochure on the inheritance-tax exemption mechanism for small and medium businesses..