Is creating your own company in Japan hard ? And what it takes ?

Question:

I know Japan is in a economic down turn right now so maybe it would be a little bit harder now, but im talking in general. On my knowledge Japan have a well regulated system so it shouldn't be that hard. Almost 130 million population is not that much for a company that aims at selling its products but i think its not that bad either for a start. Im not really an expert in economics and business, so if somebody knows more i would appreciate any advice and some more information. Thanks.

Answer:

You have misread the intention of the 'well regulated system'. It is far easier for a non-American company to setup shop in the US, than for a non-Japanese company to setup shop in Japan.

For a Japanese in Japan, it would not be any more a problem than say an American in the US. It may even be easier in Japan because they won't have to worry about being sued out of existence at a drop of a hat from a customer. Remember the multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by a woman in the US because she was burned when she spilled her coffee from McDonald's? That would have been laughed out of court in Japan. So in that sense owning and operating a business is easier.

However, for a non-Japanese to start a business in Japan it is NOT going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. The 'well regulated system' was intentionally designed to protect Japanese companies and industry from foreign competition. Japan has a protected economy which basically makes it harder for a foreign businesses to conduct business without some sort of partnership with a Japanese business entity. They (the Japanese) basically have it setup so that one way of another a Japanese business can get a piece of the pie.

This has been a long running sore point various countries have with Japan and has not changed in over 30 years.