Choosing how to enter, once you've chosen to enter
Direct sales, distributor, joint venture, branch office, subsidiary — each carries a different mix of effort, control, and obligation. This engagement makes that trade-off visible for your situation specifically.
Back to homeWhat this comparison gives you
A structured document that weighs the practical routes into the Japanese market against your company's particular circumstances — the setup effort each requires, the control you retain, the tax and filing obligations that follow, and how difficult each route would be to reverse if things change.
Too many reasonable-sounding options
Once the decision to enter is made, the next question rarely has an obvious answer. A distributor sounds simple until the relationship becomes the bottleneck; a subsidiary sounds thorough until the compliance load outweighs the volume it supports. Sorting through this from outside the market, without a clear framework, tends to take longer than it should.
A comparison built around trade-offs, not a single answer
Rather than arguing for one route, the comparison sets each option against the same criteria — effort, capital, control, obligation, reversibility — so you can see where your own priorities point. The purpose is to make the trade-offs visible, not to make the decision for you.
Two working sessions across three weeks
The first session establishes your priorities and constraints; the second walks through the draft comparison and refines it against your feedback. In between, we prepare the cost outline and registration sequence notes specific to the routes most relevant to you.
¥24,000 for the full comparison
This covers both working sessions, the comparison document itself, an indicative cost outline for each route considered, and notes on the sequence of registrations involved.
Grounded in observable obligation, not general advice
Each route's obligations — filing requirements, capital thresholds, typical timelines — are drawn from the relevant regulatory framework rather than paraphrased from a generic guide, so the comparison reflects what actually applies to a company in your position.
Scope agreed before work begins
We confirm which routes are genuinely relevant to your situation before the sessions start, so the comparison stays focused rather than padded with options you've already ruled out. If the scope turns out to need adjustment partway through, we'll discuss it openly rather than silently expanding the engagement.
Getting started
Send a short note describing where you stand — whether you've narrowed the routes already or want the full set considered — and we'll set up the first session.
Ask about this comparisonMarket Position Assessment
Still deciding whether to enter at all? Start with a read of the segment.
View offerLocal Partner Preparation
Once a route is chosen, get ready for the first partner meeting.
View offer