“I’ve established my company. Can you help me file the necessary notifications with the tax office and local authorities?”

Recently, I’ve been receiving this kind of inquiry more often, even from international entrepreneurs.

First of all—congratulations on establishing your company! I’m sure it wasn’t easy to complete the process of raising capital, applying for a visa, and registering your company at the Legal Affairs Bureau, even with the help of a judicial scrivener or administrative scrivener.

And thank you so much for considering our firm. At the same time, there’s something important I’d like to share with all new entrepreneurs—especially those starting out in a foreign country.

If you’ve ever established or managed a company in your home country, you probably know firsthand how complex and burdensome the filing requirements, accounting, financial statements, tax filings, and payments can be.

Managing all these tasks properly on your own as a business owner in Japan is no small feat.

That’s why most companies, from the very beginning, choose to work with a tax accountant under a consulting agreement. We provide advice and handle filings on their behalf, allowing business owners to focus fully—and confidently—on running their core business.

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What Awaits Beyond Company Registration

Whether you’re a foreign or Japanese entrepreneur, if you enter into a new advisory contract with our firm after establishing your company, we’ll first help you file the following:

• Notification of Company Establishment
• Application for Approval of Blue Return
• Notification of Opening a Salary Payment Office
• Application for Special Treatment of Withholding Tax Payment Deadlines
• Procedures for e-Tax, eLTAX, and direct debit tax payments

We’ll also work with you—step by step—to determine the best approach for the following, based on your business type, sales, and company size. (For areas beyond our scope as tax accountants, we collaborate with a trusted labor and social security attorney.)

• Whether to register as a taxable enterprise for consumption tax (requires annual review)
• Bookkeeping and accounting (monthly)
• Corporate, consumption, and local tax filings (once or twice a year)
• Year-end tax adjustments and biannual or monthly withholding tax payments
• Fixed asset tax declarations (annually)
• Enrollment and notifications for social and labor insurance

These filings go not only to the tax office but also to various prefectural and municipal offices, each with its own deadlines and procedures.

Lately, I’ve also received many questions about these additional challenges, which have become even tougher for foreigners in Japan:

• Opening a corporate bank account
• Handling international money transfers

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Paying for a Tax Accountant: A Necessary Expense for Peace of Mind

Typical fees for tax accountant services are:

• Monthly advisory and bookkeeping fee: ¥30,000–¥50,000 (At our firm, this fee for domestic corporations includes the filings listed above; for foreign corporations, we provide a separate quote.)
• Annual tax filing fee: around ¥150,000
• Year-end adjustments and fixed asset tax filing: around ¥30,000–¥50,000

Even for a company with sales under ¥10 million, outsourcing these tasks generally costs around ¥500,000 per year.

(Please note: These figures are general estimates. English-speaking accounting firms are limited, and fees are often higher than average. Fees may also vary depending on your company’s size, industry, and service requirements.)

Some clients are surprised by these costs, saying, “Is it really that expensive?”

It’s understandable—it may feel like a heavy burden at first. Occasionally, clients ask, “Can you offer a lower fee since I’ve just started my business and don’t have many transactions yet?”

But from our perspective as a tax accountant, supporting a brand-new business actually takes the most time and effort. We spend hours gathering information, explaining necessary accounting and tax concepts, and designing optimal workflows. In reality, during this initial period, the internal cost we incur often exceeds the fees we receive. If we were to lower fees further, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing sustainable support.

We sincerely hope you’ll understand that we’re here to guide and cheer you on—as a professional partner invested in helping your young business take flight and soar.

Also, in truth, the fees you pay a tax accountant are far more cost-effective—and error-proof—than hiring an in-house accountant. And you’ll always have access to expert advice. In short, it’s a necessary investment in peace of mind for sustainable business management.

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Proper Filing Protects Your Credibility—and Your Future

Accurate filings, tax returns, and payments are crucial for maintaining good standing. They also play a key role in ensuring smooth visa renewals—essential for foreign entrepreneurs to continue living and working in Japan.

Some of our clients fondly call the accounting and tax files we compile “magic files.”

At our firm, we compile all the documents we prepare and file for you each year into a single organized binder, which we then give to you. This binder often makes visa renewal processes significantly easier.

We also work closely with an administrative scrivener specializing in visa matters. For our advisory clients, we sometimes liaise directly with this professional to minimize your workload during visa renewals.

At our firm, we genuinely want to help you keep building the business you’ve dreamed of—confidently and sustainably.

Don’t just stop at “filing the paperwork.” Let’s work together to set you up for long-term success.

A tax accountant isn’t just someone who fills out forms or submits them on your behalf—we’re your partner, dedicated to protecting you.

If you’d like to explore how we can support you, please contact us by email or through our inquiry form.

We’re looking forward to meeting you!