Telecom, POS systems, and online payment acceptance for business

For a virtual corporate phone number, clocall.jp offers inexpensive numbers including geographic 03/08 lines, PBX, and a virtual fax, though with an awkward billing setup. Twilio has a regulatory requirement that geographic numbers (03/045, etc.) not be issued without a physical office, and it enforces this strictly, rejecting a regulatory bundle without explanation; a national 050 number can be obtained from other providers with a virtual office, though KYC requirements have tightened since 2024. Alternatives to Twilio include GTN (a corporate plan, reportedly cheaper and simpler to set up) and clocall.jp. A dedicated business phone number is recommended (it cuts spam calls to the personal line, looks more professional, and simplifies proving business use in an audit); one example tariff is Y-mobile for companies with 2 employees at 870 yen/line. Porting a number (MNP) from an individual to a company is difficult and generally only supported by the three major carriers. For a corporate SIM, an internet provider's contract sometimes bundles one in; AsahiNet (English-language support for individuals, with unused data carried over) and Asolutions (English-language corporate support) were both mentioned. Corporate mobile portals at Y Mobile, Docomo, and Softbank get complaints for poor UX (many disconnected portals, repeated company/director re-verification just to add a SIM). Alternatives: Rakuten Mobile offers convenient number management from one account, with a separate payment card per number, though indoor reception is often poor ("zero bars" — Rakuten runs on its own network, previously on top of Docomo's). A workaround is registering a Rakuten SIM under an individual rather than the company, even for business use, including linking a corporate debit card. IIJ is recommended overall but doesn't accept card payment. mineo offers a backup 1.5 Mbit SIM for about 1,000 yen/month as a fallback when the main carrier's coverage is poor. For a long-term SIM on a tourist/long-term visa, Sakura Mobile is more expensive ("aimed at foreigners"); povo is an alternative with no subscription fee, though it must be topped up at least once every 6 months to avoid deactivation. For fixed-line NTT service at an office, the contract can be under an individual's name, but it should be tied to the registered office address (shacho) — otherwise the tax office may raise questions. Online fax services (for cases where a counterparty, e.g., a pharmacy, only accepts fax) come from several providers with free trials, letting you buy a dedicated fax number that forwards to email. For offline POS/payment systems (e.g., a café), Airregi (airregi.jp/payment) is popular, alongside Square; freee integrates with Airpay/Airregi. For accepting tap payments on an Android phone, SMBC stera tap is available and works for sole proprietors too. Cash payment is completely normal practice for Japanese customers, with many places taking cash only; for a business aimed at foreigners this is seen as less acceptable (opinion from the chat). For accepting online card payments in Japan, being a sole proprietor (個人事業主) is enough to set up Stripe (even without official registration, though the site gets scrutinized more closely in that case); Stripe requires the business to have a 特定商取引法に基づく表記 page — a mandatory legal disclosure under Japan's commercial-transactions law covering prices, return terms, address, and phone number. Square is also used as a quick option for sole proprietors. PAY.JP, an alternative to Stripe, has in some chat cases refused new services without explanation. Without a Japanese legal entity, online payments can still be accepted via Stripe (including Payment Links), Ko-fi, PayPal, and Patreon, though Japan has restrictions: not every bank is supported by Stripe (e.g., Yucho/Japan Post Bank and GMO Aozora Bank aren't always supported, and Wise doesn't work through Stripe at all). BuyMeACoffee requires a Japanese bank and a legal entity for monetization in Japan — it doesn't suit individuals without one. Opening a bank account for marketplace selling (e.g., Rakuten) requires a Japanese counterparty bank; there have been cases of Yahoo accounts being blocked for listing a *.ru domain in the contact email, on suspicion of fraud. Selling on Amazon Japan: the platform fee is 10%, FBA runs from about 200 yen (a small light item) to about 800 yen (a small ~100g box); there are extra fees for stock sitting in the warehouse over a year, and some categories need compliance certificates or brand-owner permission if the product isn't the seller's own brand; it's worth starting with a test product to learn the requirements. Source: https://clocall.jp/ — Virtual corporate phone number service clocall.jp. Source: https://www.ymobile.jp/biz/plan/houjinkeiyakuwari2/ — Y-mobile plan for companies. Source: https://www.asolutions.co.jp/#1 — Telecom provider Asolutions with English-language corporate support. Source: https://airregi.jp/payment/ — Airregi POS/payment system. Source: https://www.smbc-gp.co.jp/stera/tap — SMBC stera tap service for Android tap payments.