Japan

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Business Practices

General information: Japanese business culture on the Communicaid website
Japanese culture and customs as seen by the Kwintessential website
Japanese business culture as seen by the Kwintessential website
Japanese business culture on the Executiveplanet website
Opening hours and days: Offices are closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Public holidays

New Year	1st January
Coming of Age Day	8th January
Foundation of the Nation Day	Beginning-mid February, changes according to the year
Spring Equinox	End of March, changes according to the year
Showa Day	End of April, beginning of May, changes according to the year
Constitution Day	Beginning of May, changes according to the year
Greenery Day	Beginning of May, changes according to the year
Homage to the Sea	16th July
Respect for Elderly People Day	17th September
Autumn Equinox	End of September, changes according to the year
Sport Day	8th October
Culture Day	Beginning of November, changes according to the year
Work Recognition Day	End of November, changes according to the year
The Emperor’s Birthday	End of December, changes according to the year

Holiday compensation: When a public holiday falls on a Saturday, companies close on the following Monday to compensate.

Periods when companies usually close

New Year	1 week around New Year
Golden week	1 week from the end of April to the beginning of May
O-Bon festival	1 week mid August

Accounting Rules

Tax year: From January 1st to December 31st
Accounting standards: The Japanese “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)” is made up of:
- Business Accounting Principles issued by the Business Accounting Council (BAC);
- Accounting Standards issued by the Accounting Standards Board of Japan (ASBJ);
- Practical Guidelines issued by the JICPA.
Accounting regulation bodies: BAC
ASBJ
JICPA
FASF
Accounting reports: The Commercial code gives the required regulations for a Limited Liability Company (Kabushiki Kaisha) to prepare an annual report and appendix.The annual report must be submitted to the general assembly of shareholders and must include the balance sheet and the income statement.
Publication requirements: Only companies quoted in the stock-exchange have to publish their accounts. According to the law of transferable securities and the law of exchange, registrants must file to the Ministry of Finance the annual and biannual statement reports, as well as a copy in the foreign exchange markets where transferable securities are registered.
Professional accountancy bodies: JICPA
Tokyo certified public tax accountants’ association
Certification and auditing: Board of Audit of Japan
Japan Corporate Auditors Association (JCAA)
Certified Public accountants and auditing oversight board
Accounting news: Accounting news in Japan
Accounting diary in Japan
Japan accounting news on einnews.com

Tax Rates

Consumption taxes

Nature of the tax: Consumption tax
Tax rate: National consumption tax :4%
Calculated on the total amount of sales (excluding sales not subject to tax) and once the total amount of purchases subject to tax has been deducted.

Local consumption tax : 1%
Calculated on the total amount of consumption tax due.
Reduced tax rate: None
Other consumption taxes: Other consumption taxes are levied at the national level and the local level: liquor tax, tobacco tax, gasoline tax, aviation fuel tax, liquefied petroleum gas tax, petroleum tax, motor vehicle tax, etc.

Corporate taxes

Company tax: 30% of the profit for companies of more than 100 million JPY
Tax rate for foreign companies: Resident companies are taxed on their worldwide income; non-resident companies are taxed only on Japanese-source income. A company that has its principal or main office in Japan is considered to be resident.
Capital gains taxation: Taxed at the corporate tax rate.
Capital gains tax on land transfers is subject to a specific method of calculation.
Main allowable deductions and tax credit: Bad debt, repairs, natural disasters, charitable donation, R&D expenses, etc.
Other corporate taxes: Stamp tax, registration and license tax.

Individual taxes

Tax rate

Personal tax rate	Up to 40% (2007 scale) Click here to visualize the method of calculation.
Local taxes	Individual inhabitants tax and individual enterprise tax Vary according to the locality
Effective taxation	Up to 50%

Allowable deductions and tax credit: Dependent spouse, young children, disabled and elderly dependents, social insurance, etc.
Special expatriate tax regime: No special expatriate tax regime in Japan.

Double taxation treaties

Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed: See the list of double Taxation Agreements
See the list of Japanese Tax Treaties.
Whithholding taxes: Dividends: 20%, Interest: 15/20%, Royalties: 20%

Sources of fiscal information

Tax Authorities: National Tax Agency Japan.
Other domestic resources: Japanese tax system as seen by the Tax Bureau Ministry of Finance Japan
Income tax guide for foreigners

Intellectual Property

National organizations: Japan Patent Organisation (JPO)
Japan Patent Information Organization (JAPIO)
Regional organizations: Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG), intellectual property resource of each member economy of the APEC community
International membership: Member of the WIPO
Signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Membership to the TRIPS agreement - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

National regulation and international agreements

Type of property and law	Validity	International agreements signed
Patent Patent Law, 1999	20 years renewable	Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Strasbourg agreement concerning the International Patent Classification
Trademark Trademarks Law 1997 The Unfair Competition Prevention Law, which is enforced by the METI, provides additional trademark protection.	10 years renewable every 10 years	Trademark law treaty Nice agreement Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement
Design Design Law 1997	15 years
Copyright Copyright Law 2006		Berne convention Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against unauthorized duplication of their phonograms Rome convention for the protection of performers, producers of phonograms and Broadcasting organizations WIPO copyright treaty WIPO performances and Phonograms treaty
Industrial Models Utility Model Law 1997	10 years

Legal Framework

Independence of justice: Yes
Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners: In the texts justice ensures non-discriminatory treatment of all cases. But in practice, not being able to speak Japanese can lead to a lack of equity.
The language of justice: Japanese only
Recourse to an interpreter: No guidelines exist to ensure effective communication between judges, lawyers, and non Japanese-speaking defendants. No standard licensing or qualification system exists for court interpreters, and trials proceed even if no translation or interpretation is provided for the accused.
Sources of the law and legal similarities: The system is modeled on European systems with Anglo-American influences.
Checking national laws online: Lexadin, the world law guide
Japanlaw

Standards

National standards organizations: The Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC) depending on the METI (the Ministry of economy, trade and industry)
The Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS)
Integration in the international standards network: The JISC is a member of:
- The International Standard organization (ISO);
- The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC);
- The APEC/SCSC, Sub Committee of Standards and Conformance of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation;
- The ASEM/TFAP/SCA, Trade Facilitation Action Plan/Standards and Conformity Assessment of the Asia-European meeting;
- The Pacific Area Standards Congress.
Classification of standards: JIS + 1 letter showing the technical area + 4-digit number showing the rank in the JIS division.
Online consultation of standards: The publication of standards is entrusted to the JSA (Japanese Standards Association) which is the “publishing house” of the JISC. The JSA website gives access to the JISC standards.
Certification organizations: Japan Accreditation System for Product Certification Bodies (JASC)
Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (JAB)
International Accreditation Japan (IA Japan)

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