Markets
Start an online business in Japan
The steps the government of Japan sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in Japan
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
The Ministry of Justice names 株式会社 (kabushiki kaisha) and 合同会社 (godo kaisha) among companies under commercial registration, and the NTA names 個人事業 (sole proprietorship).
2. Register the business
Companies are registered by commercial registration (商業登記) at the Legal Affairs Bureau, and a sole proprietor files a business commencement notification (個人事業の開業・廃業等届出書) with the tax office.
3. Get your tax number
The Commissioner of the National Tax Agency designates a 13-digit Corporate Number to registered companies (not to sole proprietors), and a qualified invoice issuer's registration number is T plus that number.
4. Check when you must register for consumption tax
The NTA states a business is exempt from consumption tax if taxable sales in the Base Period are equal to or less than 10 million yen.
5. Follow the rules for selling online
The Consumer Affairs Agency guide to the Specified Commercial Transactions Act explains advertising rules for Mail Order Sales, which include website sales.
Open your store in Japan
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in Japan. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a consumption tax entry for Japan, pre-filled at 10%, with collecting off until you switch it on.
Consumption tax in Japan- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in Japan. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for consumption tax, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in Japan.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in Japan can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in Japan
Which legal form should I choose in Japan?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in Japan can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in Japan is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in Japan?
A tax entry for Japan with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my consumption tax return?
No. Your store works out and charges consumption tax at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in Japan?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in Japan must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- www.moj.go.jp
- www.houjin-bangou.nta.go.jp
- www.nta.go.jp
- www.no-trouble.caa.go.jp
Start a business in another market of the same region
Open your store in Japan today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.