Sanctions, Licensing, and Director Liability

For business owners with Russian citizenship exporting to Russia, per-unit value limits apply to direct exports; routing exports through third countries is treated under Japanese law as sanctions evasion and is criminally punishable. When shipping containers of goods (for example, parts) to third countries, Japanese authorities may demand extra proof of the cargo's final destination, up to a power of attorney from a Japanese party. Export restrictions also apply to certain goods, such as electronic components, for a number of countries. Exports to Russia formally require approval from METI (Japan's trade ministry), and in some cases also involve the Ministry of Justice or Finance Ministry. Separately, mishandled cargo unloading at a port can, per an unverified chat report, lead a local customs officer to seize the shipment and demand a fine of roughly 500,000 yen, a practice reportedly applied more often to foreigners. A director who acts on instructions from a majority shareholder — for example, transferring money to a sanctioned account — bears personal legal liability and would have to personally prove in court that they did not know the recipient was sanctioned; this is a vulnerable position, and director's-liability insurance is recommended. Separately, founders of an NPO in Japan must submit a written declaration of no ties to organized crime or yakuza groups, a requirement that also appears when opening a bank account, in lawyer contracts, and in lease agreements. On licensing: importing alcohol into Japan requires a separate company license, along with the product's composition and production stages and bottle samples for lab analysis; the whole process was estimated to cost from around 300,000 yen. International passenger transport without a second-class driver's license (hakutaku) is illegal, and even informal side-gig driving of a tourist group carries real legal risk. A kobutsusho (used-goods dealer) license is mandatory for anyone buying and reselling used cars, whether for domestic sale or export. Professions such as massage therapist, makeup artist, or beauty specialist require an official license obtained in Japan and strong Japanese, to work directly with clients; a Russian diploma is not sufficient to work legally, and a visa cannot be obtained for such activity directly — hiring qualified staff instead of practicing personally is an option. For a licensed private psychology practice, requirements include Japanese at N2–N1 level, or five years of living/working in Japan, or relevant formal education; an unlicensed private consulting practice (non-medical) is allowed without special requirements as long as it avoids the protected Japanese term for medical psychologists. For import/export more broadly, many product categories require specific licenses or permits that vary by industry — there is no universal rule, so requirements should be checked in advance for each product category. On construction: a plot needs road access of a minimum width to build (roughly 4 meters for the road and 2 meters for the access lane were mentioned, though participants were unsure of the exact figures — see https://www.e-a-site.com/knowledge/rules/road/). "Deep renovation" — keeping part of an old house, such as load-bearing wooden beams and the roof — may legally not count as "new construction," which can allow bypassing current building-coverage limits on the plot and, per one participant's unverified view, possibly current seismic-resistance requirements. Steel-frame houses are significantly harder and less worthwhile to renovate than wooden ones, making demolition and rebuilding the more practical route. Source: https://www.e-a-site.com/knowledge/rules/road/ — Source on minimum road-access width requirements for construction in Japan.