When you start a business in Japan, you may hear ‘shigyou 士業’. I will explain it simply in this blog.

1. ‘Shigyou 士業’ Meaning

It means specialists with national licenses, such as lawyers and certified public accountants. The fields of shigyou are separated in detail by by-laws, and they can not go over each field each other.

2. The Kinds of Shigyou

I will explain representative kinds of shigyou. They are essential to support you when you conduct business in Japan.

– Lawyer

Like in other countries, a lawyer’s field is everything related to laws, such as checking contracts, consulting disputes, and being a deputy in the court.

– Certified Public Accountant

Also, like in other countries, its field is audits and accounting.

– Tax Accountant

Its field is tax. Every business must file tax returns once a year, and they support you with preparing accounting books and tax return documents.

– Administrative Scrivner

Its field is permission to administration, such as visa, restaurant and private lodge business. When you start a business in Japan, in most cases, you must get a management visa. This procedure is complex, so most foreign people leave it to them.

– Judicial Scrivner

Its fields are registration and small-volume trials. Registration is essential when you establish a corporation and trade real estate and you can leave those procedures to them.

– Social Insurance and Labor Consultant

Its fields are social insurance, pension and labor. When you establish a corporation and pay a salary, including your director’s fees, the company must submit an application related to social insurance once a year, around July. It is not so complicated, but even some Japanese companies leave this procedure to them.

– Land and Building Investigator

Its field investigates and measures land and buildings when registering.

3. Point of Attention

They can not do business until they pass the national exam and register, and they only can do business in their field. Also, in Japan, taxes and social insurance are different. Therefore, you can not leave social insurance matters to a tax accountant and vice versa. It is troublesome for clients, but I hope you understand.

As one of the membes of the group ‘ Business Support in Japan’, I have many experiences and deeply and wide knowlage as well as strong desire to support forign people and companies who starting businesses in Japan. Please feel free to contuct me if you have any questions and concerns.