Summaries of government announcements that matter to business owners and accounting staff: rule changes and useful information from the National Tax Agency, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the SME Agency and others. Showing the professional version.Showing the plain-language version.
304 articles
The Japan Finance Corporation explains the application procedure and necessary documents f…When you start a new job, there is a way to borrow money from a government financial insti…
When you take out a loan for your business, the financial institution judges the outlook f…When a company borrows money from a bank, the bank checks "whether it will be repaid prope…
In assessing a loan, a financial institution checks the numbers in the financial statement…Financial statements are documents that sum up a company's results for a year and the stat…
When cash flow becomes tight, the first things that matter are to make visible in numbers …In a shop or a company, even when there are sales, the time money comes in and the time it…
With cash flow, you have more options if you make it hard to break through daily managemen…In a shop or a company, even when there are sales, the day money comes in and the day it i…
When national taxes cannot be paid in one sum by the due date, a deferment of payment may …The rule is to pay tax by a set day, but when you are ill, there is a disaster, or your sh…
When you start a business, whether to stay a sole proprietorship or become a corporation (…When you start a shop or a job, you can choose between a "sole proprietorship", done in yo…
A stock company (kabushiki kaisha) comes into being when the articles of incorporation are…To make a stock company, you first prepare a document called the articles of incorporation…
A sole proprietorship can be started simply by filing a notice of business start-up with t…You can start a "sole proprietorship", running a shop or a job in your own name, by handin…
Once you start a sole proprietorship, recording each day's transactions in account books i…When you start a shop or a job, it is important to record every day when money came in, ho…
At its Monetary Policy Meeting on October 30, the Bank of Japan decided by a vote of 8 to …At its meeting on October 30, the Bank of Japan decided to keep the interest rate that ban…
On October 30, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that November will be …When a large company tries to cut overtime, some of that work can be passed on to smaller …
On October 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) announced a recommen…When a large company asks a small factory to make parts, the price is agreed in advance. B…
On October 30, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released Employment Referrals fo…Every month the government compares the number of job openings filed with the public emplo…
On October 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced…The national government (the MHLW) is looking for companies that let people keep working p…
The Bank of Japan holds a Monetary Policy Meeting on October 29 and 30, and immediately af…The Bank of Japan aims for a state in which the prices of the things and services we buy a…
On October 30, 2026, the Bank of Japan published the Bank's View in its Outlook for Econom…Every three months the Bank of Japan publishes an Outlook Report on how it sees the econom…
On October 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced an ins…When food comes into Japan from abroad, the government takes samples at the port and check…
On October 28 the Bank of Japan published the results of its fiscal 2026 public invitation…The Bank of Japan exchanges money and government bonds with banks and other institutions i…
Bank of Japan statements always record the vote behind a decision, in the form of a note s…Interest rate decisions at the Bank of Japan are made by majority vote of the Policy Board…
Statistics come with a gap between the day they are released and the period they describe.…The government and the Bank of Japan release all sorts of figures every day and every mont…
The Bank of Japan publishes a figure called the basic discount rate and basic loan rate, a…When a bank wants to borrow money, it can borrow from the Bank of Japan. The interest on t…
On October 30, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that November will be …To encourage working people to improve their skills, the government has designated Novembe…
In the material the Bank of Japan published on October 30 on revising the pace of its ETF …In the material on how much of its stock bundles (ETFs) the Bank of Japan will sell each y…
On October 29, 2026, the Japan Fair Trade Commission issued a recommendation to Maruzen Co…When you ask another company to make something, cutting the agreed price afterwards withou…
On October 27 the Bank of Japan posted the latest data for its core indicators of the cons…When you look at how fast prices are rising, changing the way you count changes what you c…
On October 22 the Bank of Japan published its accounts as at October 20, 2026. Total asset…The Bank of Japan issues banknotes and buys the certificates the state issues when it borr…
On October 28 the City Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Touri…In town centres there are car parks, but often few places to leave a motorcycle. On Octobe…
On October 28, 2026, the Japan Health Insurance Association (Kyokai Kenpo) announced that …Even after you leave a company, there is a way to carry on the health insurance you were i…
On October 28 the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that t…Roads, schools and other works ordered by a city or prefecture are given to a contractor t…
On October 27, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Cabinet Office released its Monthly Economic Report for…Every month the Cabinet Office publishes how the Japanese economy is doing, in a document …
A CDS is a derivative in which protection against a borrower's default (such as bankruptcy…A CDS is a way of buying and selling an insurance-like promise in case a company cannot pa…
The Bank of Japan holds a Monetary Policy Meeting on October 29-30, with the basic view of…The Bank of Japan holds a meeting on October 29 and 30 to decide the guide for interest ra…
On October 27, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Bank of Japan released the preliminary Services Produce…Carrying goods, storing them, renting an office, running an advertisement. Companies buy m…
According to the Ministry of Finance's JGB interest rate data, the yield on the 10-year Ja…When the country needs money, it issues IOUs called government bonds and borrows from many…
A price index is the sum of price movements of individual items, each multiplied by a weig…When you combine the prices of many goods and services into a single number, the ones trad…
On October 27, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Finance announced its decision to impose an…If a company abroad sells goods to Japan at a price far below what it charges at home, com…
What the news calls an anti-dumping duty is, under Japanese law, a duty on unfairly low-pr…If a company abroad sells goods to Japan at a price far below what it charges at home, com…
Nationwide consumer prices for September, released on October 23, rose 2.1% from a year ea…The rate at which the prices of things go up is called the inflation rate. In September, c…
According to a document that Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution updates d…Electricity must be used as fast as it is made. On sunny afternoons there can be too much …
On October 26, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced the th…If a company or group makes its own test that measures work skills, and that test meets th…
According to the Supreme Court's 2025 (Reiwa 7) Annual Report of Judicial Statistics, dist…"Bankruptcy" is a procedure in which a person or company that can no longer repay debts as…
The Kitakyushu results of the Prefectural Land Price Survey as of July 1, 2026 (146 survey…Every year each prefecture checks land prices as of July 1. In Kitakyushu in 2026, land fo…
On October 23, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Statistics Bureau released the Consumer Price Index for…The government (the Statistics Bureau) surveys the prices of many things sold in shops and…
On October 23, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published the se…The government (the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) looked at how many people who …
According to the Supreme Court's Courts Data Book 2026, district courts newly received 92,…When someone can no longer repay money they borrowed, they can ask a court for "bankruptcy…
On October 23, 2026, the Bank of Japan published its Financial System Report (October 2026…Twice a year the Bank of Japan publishes the results of a check-up called the Financial Sy…
On October 22, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a recommendat…Corrugated boxes are printed using tools called plates. An ordering company left its plate…
The FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform revised the measure to ensure an appropriate tax burden on…Tax on profits from selling shares is a lower percentage than tax on ordinary salaries, so…
On October 22, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Bank of Japan published its Senior Loan Officer Opinion…Companies sometimes borrow money from banks to buy machines or pay wages. The Bank of Japa…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform (Act Partially Amending the Local Tax Act, promulgat…Furusato nozei is a system where donating to a town reduces your resident tax and other ta…
On October 21, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Bank of Japan published the materials of a workshop (he…Companies have a job called accounting, where they record their daily sales and payments i…
On October 21, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Japan Fair Trade Commission announced that it will hold…When one company buys and sells from another, there are rules to stop a company in a stron…
In the provisional trade statistics for September 2026 (Reiwa 8), released by the Ministry…In September, Japan sold about JPY 11 trillion of goods abroad and bought about JPY 11.5 t…
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published a colu…iDeCo is a system where you put money aside every month yourself and receive it as a pensi…
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Cabinet Office's Tax Commission held the 5th meeting of…The government has a body called the Tax Commission that discusses how the rules on taxes …
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Bank of Japan published the standard foreign exchange r…The Bank of Japan publishes a set of benchmark figures for exchanging foreign money and Ja…
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency (NTA) announced that from January 2…When you start your own shop or business, you have to file several documents with the tax …
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare posted the minut…Today, if a worker asks for it, their pay can be sent not to a bank but to a smartphone wa…
On October 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a public …Companies have rules about helping the people who work for them keep from getting ill. On …
This article lines up, in date order, the changes from October to year-end 2026 (Reiwa 8) …Here are the changes to company accounting and pay from October to the end of 2026, in dat…
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…When a company buys equipment, the rules change depending on the price. For example, under…
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…There are several tax perks for small companies that buy new machines. METI has asked to k…
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…Someone who runs a shop alone and someone who set up a company for the same work have slig…
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…There is a system that lowers the taxes of companies that raise pay. One government minist…
On October 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Japan Fair Trade Commission announced that three bodies…The company that has goods carried by truck is called the shipper. Government offices are …
On October 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that t…There is a government meeting about how companies should support people who work while rai…
For income arising on or after January 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9), the defense special income tax i…From January to March 2027, the way tax is taken from pay, shop price tags and the use of …
For 2 years from April 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9), the consumption tax rate on food and beverages b…For 2 years from April 1, 2027, consumption tax on food becomes 1%. On the same day a rule…
On October 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that t…There is a scheme called property accumulation savings, in which a little is taken out of …
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…METI has asked for tax filing and payment to become easier to do on computers and the like…
For the FY2027 (Reiwa 9) tax reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) ha…Small companies have a perk that lowers their tax rate, and another that lets them count b…
On October 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that i…There is a government website that tells you where to go for advice when you run into trou…
On April 1, 2028 (Reiwa 10) stress checks become mandatory even for workplaces with fewer …From April 2028, even small workplaces must carry out a check (the stress check) of how ti…
Small Business Mutual Aid, run by SMRJ, is a savings-type retirement allowance system for …People who work for a company may get a retirement allowance, but people who run their own…
According to an NTA leaflet, the payment due date for withholding income tax on the 2026 (…A company holds back "prepaid tax" from each month's pay. But after a year, the total of t…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, the basic deduction under the Income Tax Act has be…Tax is charged on what is left after you first subtract a "basic allowance" from a year's …
For taxable purchases from persons other than qualified invoice issuers, the transitional …There is a special rule that lets you subtract only part of the consumption tax you paid w…
The NTA announces that for 2 years from April 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9) to March 31, 2029 (Reiwa 1…The consumption tax on food you buy at supermarkets and similar places is now 8%. The NTA …
This subsidy supports the adoption of IT tools, including AI, to raise labor productivity …There is a program where the government pays part of the cost when a company starts using …
For business years beginning on or after April 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), corporations subject to …From business years starting in April 2026, a new tax has been added to the taxes that com…
The "20% special rule" lets a formerly tax-exempt business operator that became a qualifie…The 20% special rule is a rule that greatly reduces the consumption tax paid by people who…
People whose estimated tax base amount is JPY 150,000 or more must make estimated tax paym…A sole proprietor whose tax was large last year prepays part of this year's tax in two ins…
For the tax-free limit of commuting allowances paid to people who commute by car, bicycle …Commuting money paid by a company is not taxed up to a set amount. For people who commute …
On January 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Subcontract Act took effect with a new law name and nick…The rules between big companies that ask for work and small companies that are asked to do…
The fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform created a system under which, when a company acquires…A new system is being created that lowers taxes for companies that make large purchases of…
Pay a corporation gives to its officers is not deductible as an expense (sonkin) to the ex…A company can treat the money it pays to its president or other officers as an expense onl…
For a retirement allowance, the retirement income deduction based on years of service is s…If the retirement pay you get when leaving a company were taxed the same way as your regul…
This subsidy covers part of the cost for small and medium-sized businesses struggling with…When a company that has too few workers tries to make its work easier with machines or com…
For the special provision allowing SMEs to deduct low-value depreciable assets as expenses…Computers and chairs a company uses for work are usually counted as expenses little by lit…
Starting with the year-end adjustment for 2026 (Reiwa 8), a special rule is introduced for…If you pay for life insurance, that amount can be subtracted when taxes are calculated. Fo…
Taking the measures needed in employment management to prevent workplace power harassment …When someone with more power at work goes beyond the limits of the job and bullies or hurt…
The minimum amount of the employment income deduction was raised from JPY 650,000 to JPY 7…For wages from a company, there is a rule called the "employment income deduction" that le…
Kyokai Kenpo's average premium rate for fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8) was lowered by 0.1 point fro…In the health insurance you join through your company (Kyokai Kenpo), the premium is paid …
The employment insurance premium rates for April 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8) to March 31, 2027 (Reiw…People who work at companies put in a set share of their pay for insurance that prepares f…
The Child and Child-Rearing Support Contribution system starts in fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8). U…To support families raising children as a whole society, the “Child and Child-Rearing Supp…
The company size requirement (number of employees) for enrolling short-time workers in soc…Whether part-time workers can join a company's social insurance also depends on how many p…
The FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform revised the R&D tax credit. A new tax credit for research …There is a system that lets a company subtract part of its research spending on new produc…
The transitional measure for taxable purchases from suppliers that are not qualified invoi…There is a special rule that lets you deduct part of the consumption tax on purchases from…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) reform, the acquisition cost requirement for tools, equipment a…There are systems that lower a company's taxes when it buys new machines or tools. The "mi…
If the medical expenses you paid between January 1 and December 31 of the year for yoursel…When your family's hospital and medicine costs add up to a lot in one year, the part over …
Under the amended Childcare and Family Care Leave Act in force from October 2025 (Reiwa 7)…Companies must now prepare several easy-to-use options, such as shifting working hours or …
When a corporation's tax payment place changes, for example by relocating its head office,…When a company moves to a new place, the tax office in charge of it can change too. In tha…
The National Police Agency has published guidance on the amendment of the Act on Preventio…Bad people use bank passbooks handed over by others for crimes, such as when someone gives…
This scheme subsidizes part of the costs for small and medium-sized enterprises and small …This is a program where, if a shop or factory raises the lowest hourly pay by JPY 50 or mo…
Following the increase in the basic deduction, the total income requirement for dependents…If you support your family, there is a rule that lets you pay less tax when a family membe…
To ensure proper insurance benefits, Kyokai Kenpo checks whether dependents still meet the…Once a year, Kyokai Kenpo checks whether people covered as dependents on a family member's…
Under the fiscal 2025 (Reiwa 7) tax reform, the Electronic Books Maintenance Act gained a …The government has set up a system that links invoice data straight into the books without…
When invoices, receipts and similar documents are exchanged as electronic data, you are ob…An invoice or receipt that arrives online is treated as the real document in its data form…
The NTA's "FAQ on Tax Audit Procedures (for general taxpayers)" was revised in July 2026 (…When tax office staff visit a company or shop to check its books and records, it is called…
With the worker's consent, wages can be paid into an account at a fund transfer service pr…Until now, pay was basically given in cash or by bank transfer. Now, if the person says OK…
In the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, the measure for all corporations within the wage incre…There is a system that lowers a company's taxes a bit when it raises pay. It was reviewed …
The FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform introduces the Special Defense Income Tax. When withholdin…Right now, income tax has an add-on to pay for recovery from the earthquake. From 2027 (Re…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, a special rule was created for sole proprietors who…The old "20%" rule is ending, and in its place a "30%" rule is being created that only ind…
For workers granted 10 or more days of annual paid leave (including those in supervisory o…When you have worked for a certain period, you get days off where you are still paid (paid…
Yorozu Support Centers are free business consultation offices set up by the government. In…If you have worries like "my shop has fewer customers" or "I want to start a new business,…
When an officer's term ends, a stock company must register the officer change within 2 wee…The names of a company's president and officers are listed in the government's registry (t…
A premium wage of at least 25% is paid for overtime beyond statutory working hours, at lea…When you work more than the set hours, or late at night or on days off, you are paid extra…
To give up registration as a qualified invoice issuer, you submit the "notification of req…Even after you register for the invoice system, you can quit. But if you do not notify the…
The Toriteki Act adds an employee-count criterion to the capital criterion. The employee-c…Until now, the rules for companies that ask others to do work were decided by the company'…
The leniency measure (yuyo sochi) that covered January 2022 (Reiwa 4) to December 2023 (Re…Documents you receive online should in principle be stored in a set way. But if you are no…
A salaried worker who pays any of seven kinds of specified expenses (commuting, business t…Even company employees sometimes pay out of their own pocket for study or qualifications n…
For inheritance tax, the basic deduction is subtracted from the total taxable value to get…When you receive the property of someone who has died, there is first a line that says "no…
An employer who regularly employs 10 or more workers must create rules of employment and f…A company with many workers makes "rules of employment," which write down rules such as pa…
Fixed asset tax is a municipal tax charged to owners of land, buildings and depreciable as…Machines, tools and equipment that a company or shop uses for work are also charged a tax …
The special rule for small lots of residential and business land reduces the valuation of …The land under the house where a person who died lived, or the land used for their shop or…
For taxable purchases under JPY 10,000 (tax included) made by certain small businesses, an…When a shop buys goods for its business, it normally cannot subtract the consumption tax u…
People with real estate, business or forestry income must record income and expenses in bo…People who run a shop or rent out rooms must write down their money coming in and going ou…
This is a special rule for the medical expense deduction that people who take certain heal…If you get health checkups and the like properly, and buy eligible cold medicine or stomac…
Under the settlement taxation system for inheritance (相続時精算課税, sozokuji seisan kazei), gif…When you receive a lot of property from a parent or grandparent, there is a choice where y…
For scanner storage, input must be done within "the business processing cycle period (up t…When you scan paper receipts and turn them into data, there is a deadline for getting them…
This system helps prevent chain bankruptcies and management difficulties when a business p…If a partner company goes bankrupt and you cannot get paid, your own company can get into …
From April 2024 (Reiwa 6), when concluding an employment contract and when renewing a fixe…Whether you are a part-timer or a regular employee, when you start working, the company mu…
Special enrollment in workers' accident compensation insurance covers four categories: own…Workers' accident compensation insurance, which helps when you get hurt on the job, normal…
If a person who acquired property through inheritance or bequest had received gifts from t…Gift money you received a little before a person died is counted again at inheritance time…
If you cannot pay a national tax by its due date, a deferral of collection or a deferral o…Because of illness, a disaster, or a big problem at work, you sometimes cannot pay taxes a…
If taxable sales in the base period are JPY 10,000,000 or less, the obligation to pay cons…In principle, a business whose sales two years ago were JPY 10,000,000 or less does not ha…
Residential condominium units (strata-titled property) acquired by inheritance, bequest or…The value the government sets for a condominium for tax purposes tended to be lower than t…
When you open, relocate or close an office that handles salary payments, you must submit a…When a company or shop creates a new place where it pays employees, moves it, or closes it…
Entertainment expenses are in principle not deductible, but small and medium-sized corpora…When a company invites business partners to a meal, that money is called "entertainment ex…
Under the Act on Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons, the mandatory retirement ag…In Japan, companies have rules so that people who want to can keep working longer. Compani…
The National Tax Agency (NTA) presents the following entry points for national tax consult…When you do not understand something about taxes, it is hard to know whom to ask. The Nati…
This system allows losses that arose in business years beginning within 10 years before th…When a company has a year in the red, there is a system that lets it subtract that loss fr…
For the search function for electronic transaction data, if sales in the base period are J…The rule is that documents kept as electronic data must be searchable later. But if your s…
Under Article 66 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, employers must have workers unde…A company must have its workers get a doctor's health checkup to find out whether anyone i…
Under the simplified taxation system, the deductible input tax is calculated by multiplyin…When you pay consumption tax, adding up every purchase in detail is a lot of work. Simplif…
Tax return filing (kakutei shinkoku) is the procedure of calculating your income and incom…People who work for themselves, or who earn money besides a salary, work out a year of inc…
Under Article 20 of the Labor Standards Act, an employer must give at least 30 days' notic…When a company ends a worker's job, it must tell them at least 30 days ahead. If it ends t…
For those who start living in the home between January 1, 2022 (Reiwa 4) and December 31, …When you borrow money to buy a home, 0.7% of the debt still left at the end of each year c…
Under the beneficial owner list system, the registrar at the Legal Affairs Bureau for the …Even when their names are not in the public eye, companies have a “real owner” who actuall…
This is an income deduction available when you have paid premiums or contributions for the…Money you pay for earthquake insurance on your house and belongings can be subtracted, up …
The upper limit on overtime is set by law, with penalties, at 45 hours a month and 360 hou…Working longer than the hours a company has set is called overtime. The law sets an upper …
The business establishment tax is a local tax imposed on those who conduct business using …The business establishment tax is a tax paid by companies that have large offices or many …
The corporate business succession tax system defers inheritance tax and gift tax on unlist…When a company's owner dies or hands the company to a child, tax is charged on the company…
A qualified invoice requires six items: the seller's name and registration number, the tra…An invoice (a qualified invoice, or tekikaku seikyusho) is an official bill that follows t…
A corporate number is a 13-digit number held by corporations such as stock companies. It h…Every company has its own 13-digit number. Anyone can look up this number, the company's n…
A corporate tax return is in principle due within two months after the end of the business…A company calculates its money for the year (closing the books) and reports the result to …
An ordinary corporation whose business year exceeds 6 months must, in principle, file an i…A company's tax is normally decided all at once after the year ends. But a company with a …
As a rule, withholding income tax is due on the 10th of the month following the month of p…A company normally pays the tax it held back from salaries to the government every month. …
When hiring or separating a foreign worker, every employer is obliged to notify Hello Work…When a company hires a foreign person, or when that person leaves, the company must tell H…
The declaration for the dependent deduction, etc. (change declaration) is submitted to the…If a company does not know about your family, it cannot work out the right tax. So every y…
The Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) one-stop exception lets you receive the deducti…Furusato Nozei lets you donate to a town you like to support, and your taxes go down a lit…
Under Article 38, paragraph 1 of the Labor Standards Act, working hours are combined even …When you work for more than one company, the hours of the two jobs are added up. If the to…
The FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform raised the exemption thresholds for the real estate acquis…There is a tax called the "real estate acquisition tax" (fudosan shutoku zei) that you pay…
The Freelance Act (Act on Ensuring Proper Transactions Involving Freelancers and Business …There are rules that the side asking for work must follow, so that people who work on thei…
If a national tax is not paid in full by the statutory due date, delinquent tax is charged…If you miss the day to pay tax, extra money called "delinquent tax", a bit like interest, …
With eLTAX you can handle "filing", "applications and notifications" and "payment" of loca…Tax procedures for prefectures and cities can be done all at once through an internet syst…
An NTA written reply case states that when a company attaches its electronic signature to …On paper contracts, you sometimes stick a sticker called a "revenue stamp" in place of pay…
For small and medium-sized corporations, such as those with capital of JPY 100 million or …Corporate tax is the tax on a company’s profit, and small companies have a special, gentle…
In July 2026 (Reiwa 8), the NTA revised two items in its FAQ on tax audit procedures: Q3 o…People from the tax office may ask you to "please show" or "please hand over" account book…
The National Tax Agency lists five cashless payment methods: transfer payment (furikae noz…You can pay taxes without going to a counter, by using a smartphone app or a credit card. …
The blue return is a system under which people who keep books to a certain standard and fi…People who open their own shop or work for themselves report their earnings to the governm…
If an heir sells a house the deceased lived in (generally built on or before May 31, 1981)…If you inherit an old house where a parent lived alone before passing away and then sell i…
To have employees work beyond the statutory working hours or on statutory holidays, an emp…When a company wants people to work longer than the standard hours (that is, work overtime…
On October 16, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Audit Committee of the Business Accounting Council at t…When experts from outside a company check whether the financial statements the company pre…
At its 218th meeting on October 16, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Medical Insurance Subcommittee of …Having a baby costs money at hospitals and clinics. The national government is discussing …
On October 15, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced a spec…Some companies lost work because of the Kumamoto earthquake. A special program is starting…
At its 212th meeting on October 14, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Labour Conditions Subcommittee of …A "work interval" is a set amount of rest time between finishing work and starting the nex…
At the Annual Meetings the IMF published the October 2026 Fiscal Monitor, Taxing Better to…In the Fiscal Monitor the IMF reviews how countries tax and spend. The October 2026 theme …
At its 212th meeting on October 14, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Labour Conditions Subcommittee of …When a company splits into two, the people who work there receive an important notice on p…
In its October 2026 World Economic Outlook, the IMF projects global growth of 3.1% in 2026…The IMF, an international organization that watches how money moves around the world, has …
In the preliminary September Corporate Goods Price Index released by the Bank of Japan on …The Bank of Japan also checks every month the prices of goods that companies sell to other…
The IMF published the October 2026 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR), Resilience, R…Twice a year the IMF checks whether the world's finances are stable. The October 2026 edit…
On October 13, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency published a page on initiatives con…When the tax office comes to check a company's account books, it may ask you to send the d…
On October 13, 2026 the Bank of Japan published the results of its "Opinion Survey on the …Four times a year the Bank of Japan asks people aged 20 or over across the country how the…
Kitakyushu City is again running programs in FY2026 that add to national grants (the Busin…When a company raises pay or lets people over 65 keep working, the national government has…
On October 9, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency posted draft consumption tax return …As the consumption tax on food goes down, the consumption tax return form is also expected…
On October 8, 2026 the WTO updated its Global Trade Outlook and Statistics. Global trade p…The WTO, an international organisation, has raised its forecast for world trade. Even with…
On October 8 the Bank of Japan published the Regional Economic Report (Sakura Report) for …The Bank of Japan divides the country into nine regions and, four times a year, reports on…
In the preliminary balance of payments for August released by the Ministry of Finance on O…The government announced a table summarizing money flowing in and out with other countries…
Kitakyushu City offers the Downtown Area Appeal Improvement and Promotion Subsidy (rate 4/…Kitakyushu City has programs that help pay for events that bring young people and tourists…
In the preliminary August results of the Monthly Labour Survey released by the Ministry of…In a government survey of companies, the average pay per worker in August was about JPY 31…
On October 7, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced that it signed a real estate sales…In the Mojiko Retro district there is an old building with history that used to be the hea…
Employers report the monthly remuneration for April, May and June of all insured persons e…The premium for the social insurance you join through your company depends on a pay bracke…
On October 5, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced a market sounding to collect ideas…In the park planned near Orio Station there is an old bridge made of bricks, built in 1914…
On October 2, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency (NTA) published an outline of the "a…There is a program where people who have just started a shop or business can learn how to …
Under the 2025 (Reiwa 7) Pension System Reform Act (Act No. 74 of 2025), the wage requirem…Even part-time and casual workers can join their company's health insurance and employees'…
In the 210th Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan (Tankan, September survey)…The Bank of Japan holds a big survey four times a year, asking companies across the countr…
On October 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the NTA released the 2026 version of its software for prepar…The forms you hand in to your company for the year-end adjustment can also be made with th…
MLIT has published, as the version effective October 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), guidelines on how …Leaseback is a way to sell your home, receive the money, and then pay rent to the company …
This is the first call for a subsidy that supports capital investment for developing techn…This is a program where the government pays part of the equipment costs for companies that…
On September 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announc…People who work for a company have "annual paid leave" (nenji yukyu kyuka): days off that …
The employees' pension insurance premium rate finished rising in September 2017 and has be…In the employees' pension that people working at companies join, the premium is set by mul…
At its 18th meeting on September 30, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Subcommittee on Company Law (shar…People who put money into a company are called shareholders, and the meeting where shareho…
The Monthly Economic Report released by the Cabinet Office on September 29, 2026 stated th…Every month, the government (the Cabinet Office) announces how Japan's economy is doing. I…
The NTA renewed the national tax system on September 24, 2026 (Reiwa 8). The formats of so…The computer system used by tax offices was renewed on September 24, 2026 (Reiwa 8). The d…
On September 23, 2026 the OECD published its Interim Economic Outlook. It says the global …The OECD, an international organisation, says the world economy handled the energy shock f…
At its Monetary Policy Meeting on September 18, 2026, the Bank of Japan decided to encoura…The Bank of Japan decided to guide the short-term interest rate that banks charge each oth…
In the nationwide consumer price index (2025 base) for August, released on September 18, 2…The government checked the prices of things and services people usually buy and compared t…
In the Prefectural Land Price Survey as of July 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), covering 21,466 locatio…Every year each prefecture checks land prices as of July 1, and the national government pu…
At its 211th meeting on September 16, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Labour Conditions Subcommittee o…When a company makes an important agreement with its workers, a representative of more tha…
In the preliminary trade statistics for August 2026 (Reiwa 8) released by the Ministry of …In August, Japan sold about 10 trillion yen worth of goods to other countries and bought a…
An NTA leaflet describes a proposed special rule on the timing of notifications for tax-ex…A proposal would add special rules, in the year the consumption tax on food is due to go d…
The NTA leaflet outlines a proposed exception for price display that takes into account th…When the consumption tax on food goes down, replacing every price tag is a big job. So a p…
According to the National Tax Agency leaflet, the proposal provides a special calculation …For shops that use a simple way to calculate consumption tax, the proposal adds a special …
On September 14, 2026 the BIS published its Quarterly Review. It says flare-ups in geopoli…The BIS, an international organisation, has summed up what happened in the world’s financi…
In the quarterly GDP estimates for April-June (second preliminary estimate) released by th…GDP is a number showing the size of the goods and services produced within a country over …
On September 4, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency published a page for filing tax re…When you file a tax return, there is a function that automatically fills in information su…
On September 3, 2026 (Reiwa 8), revised regional minimum wages were recommended in all pre…The minimum wage is the "lowest line" for hourly pay that shops and companies must pay the…
On March 12, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced that the airport, which has the onl…Kitakyushu Airport is the only airport in Kyushu and the Chugoku-Shikoku region that gets …
On September 2, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Japan Fair Trade Commission, together with the Small a…The paper promise used between businesses to say "I'll pay later" (a promissory note) will…
On August 28, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced that Kitakyushu Port has been sele…A system that reuses things that would become trash as materials is called a "circular eco…
The Ministry of the Environment runs a subsidy project (the project to promote price reduc…The Ministry of the Environment has a program that helps pay part of the cost when a compa…
From May to August 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City published a series of moves toward the …The Higashi-Kyushu Shinkansen is a line from Kitakyushu to Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima th…
Under the June 2025 (Reiwa 7) amendment to the Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Pol…Customer harassment means customers and others hurling terrible words at people who are wo…
The Fukuoka Labour Bureau has decided to set Fukuoka Prefecture's minimum wage (regional) …The pay for people working in shops and companies has a lowest amount set by the governmen…
In the preliminary balance of payments for the first half (January to June) released by th…The government announced a summary of money flowing in and out with other countries in the…
Through its Shutter Hiraku Project, Kitakyushu City helps people open businesses in vacant…This program supports people who start a new business in a shop on a shopping street that …
Aiming at a society where all tax procedures can be completed without visiting a tax offic…From October 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), tax offices across the country will mostly receive visitor…
The Employment Adjustment Subsidy (koyo chosei jyoseikin: grant) helps business operators …When orders at a shop or factory drop a lot, a company sometimes has to ask its workers to…
On July 31, 2026, the Bank of Japan published the Bank's view in its Outlook for Economic …In the Outlook Report it published on July 31, 2026, the Bank of Japan says that although …
On July 30, 2026 the IMF published the 2026 External Sector Report, Amid Rising Imbalances…The gap between the money flowing into and out of a country through trade and investment w…
At a council meeting on July 28, 2026, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said it…The government is thinking of concentrating its support for solar power on types that can …
Under the amended Industrial Safety and Health Act promulgated in May 2025, stress checks,…A stress check is a questionnaire that finds out whether work is wearing out your mind. Un…
On July 21, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced in an individual press conference a …Kitakyushu City announced a "draft" (a rough plan still under discussion) to turn the area…
Kitakyushu City runs the 3E-Action (generate, save and store energy) support program for s…Kitakyushu City has a program that helps pay part of the cost when a company makes its own…
When fixed wages change (a raise or a cut, for example) and the standard monthly remunerat…Social insurance premiums are set by sorting pay into several brackets. When the way your …
Under an amendment to the city ordinance on waste reduction and proper disposal (promulgat…When a company takes its own waste to the incineration plant, the fee was JPY 100 per 10 k…
On July 9 the Bank of Japan published the Regional Economic Report (Sakura Report) for Jul…The Bank of Japan divides the country into nine regions and, four times a year, reports on…
In the 209th Tankan (Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan, June 2026 survey)…The Bank of Japan runs a large survey four times a year asking companies across the countr…
On July 1, the National Tax Agency published the Reiwa 8 (2026) rosenka (road-side land pr…When someone receives land from a person who has died, the value of the land has to be dec…
To respond to higher crude oil prices and material shortages caused by the situation in th…Because of the situation in the Middle East, materials made from oil have become more expe…
On June 28, 2026 the BIS published its Annual Economic Report. Over the past year investme…The BIS, an international organisation where the world’s central banks work together, has …
On June 11, 2026 the World Bank published its Global Economic Prospects. Higher energy pri…The World Bank, an international organisation, has published its outlook for the world eco…
On June 8, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced that a private developer that acquire…Kitakyushu City has made a promise (an agreement) with some companies to work together to …
The Act on Promoting Recycling of Solar Cell Waste (Act No. 33 of Reiwa 8) was enacted on …Solar panels are expected to wear out and be thrown away in large numbers from the late 20…
In June 2026, Kitakyushu City published its results for FY2025 (Reiwa 7) in attracting com…Companies that build new factories or offices are gathering in Kitakyushu. In FY2025, the …
On June 3, 2026 the OECD published its Economic Outlook. It says the conflict in the Middl…The conflict in the Middle East is casting a shadow over the world economy. The OECD, an i…
Kitakyushu City certifies plans in which small and medium-sized businesses aim to raise la…If a company makes a plan to bring in new machines to get more work done in the same time …
At the mayor's press conference on May 28, 2026, Kitakyushu City announced a June suppleme…Because rising prices make life and business hard, Kitakyushu City announced in May 2026 a…
This is the 20th call for a subsidy that supports small business operators who draw up a b…This is a program where the government pays part of the cost when a small shop or company …
According to MLIT's Building Starts Statistics Survey Report (FY2025 total, published Apri…The government checks every month how many new homes were started and announces it. In FY2…
Kitakyushu City accepts applications on a rolling basis from May 1, 2026 to February 26, 2…When you hand a company to a child or someone else, or sell it to another company, you pay…
On April 28, 2026, the Bank of Japan published the Bank's view in its Outlook for Economic…In the Outlook Report it published on April 28, 2026, the Bank of Japan says that the larg…
On April 21, 2026 the Bank of Japan published the Financial System Report (April 2026 issu…The financial system means the whole mechanism, including banks, through which money chang…
On April 16, 2026 the IMF published the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific, Ap…The IMF also publishes outlooks for each region. The April 2026 edition for Asia and Pacif…
Fukuoka Prefecture supports small and medium-sized businesses installing rooftop solar (10…Fukuoka Prefecture has a program that helps companies put solar panels on their roofs and …
On April 15, 2026 the IMF published the April 2026 Fiscal Monitor, Fiscal Policy under Pre…Twice a year the IMF publishes the Fiscal Monitor, which checks the state of countries' pu…
In its World Economic Outlook of April 14, 2026, the IMF projected, assuming the conflict …On April 14, 2026 the IMF (International Monetary Fund) said the world economy is expected…
On April 14, 2026 the IMF published the April 2026 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR…The IMF (International Monetary Fund) issues a report twice a year that checks whether the…
On April 10, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced the opening of the "Hibiki Hub", in…The Hibiki Container Terminal at Kitakyushu Port has become a relay base (a hub) for sendi…
Working with 14 partner banks, Kitakyushu City offers long-term, fixed-rate, low-interest …When sales of a shop or company fall, when someone starts a new business, or when a typhoo…
This subsidy is for employers who convert fixed-term and similar workers (contract employe…This is a system where the government gives money to companies that make contract or part-…
A subsidy (jyoseikin: grant) for employers who help employees balance work with childcare …This is a program that backs companies where people can keep working with peace of mind, e…
On April 6 the Bank of Japan published the Regional Economic Report (Sakura Report) for Ap…The Bank of Japan divides the country into nine regions and, four times a year, reports on…
The IMF Executive Board concluded the 2026 Article IV consultation with Japan, and a press…The IMF (International Monetary Fund) reviews each member country's economy every year and…
From April 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), owners of registered real estate (individuals and corporatio…The names and addresses of owners of land and buildings are written in the registry book o…
Under the 2025 (Reiwa 7) pension reform law, from April 2026 (Reiwa 8) the threshold that …If you keep working after 60 and also receive a pension, part of the pension stops when yo…
In the 208th Tankan (Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan, March 2026 survey…The Bank of Japan runs a large survey four times a year asking companies across the countr…
The amendments to the Condominium Ownership Act and related laws under Act No. 47 of 2025 …In a condominium, the people who live there decide on repairs and rebuilding by talking to…
An heir who acquires real estate by inheritance must apply for inheritance registration wi…When the owner of a house or land passes away, the owner's name in the government record m…
According to the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency's guide (FY2026 tax reform edition, Ap…There is a program called the "management strengthening tax measure" that lowers taxes whe…
On March 31, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the National Tax Agency revised its circular and raised the i…When a company gives its employees meals, it is usually treated like extra pay, so tax is …
Kitakyushu City accepts applications on a rolling basis from April 1, 2026, until the budg…When one company alone has trouble finding people, a group of companies in the same line o…
On March 26, 2026 the OECD published its Interim Economic Outlook. It says the resilience …The OECD, an international organisation, says the conflict in the Middle East has made ene…
On March 24, 2026, METI announced that the Cabinet approved the bill to partially amend th…To stop solar power equipment from causing accidents because of design mistakes, the gover…
In the 2026 (Reiwa 8) Official Land Prices compiled by Kitakyushu City (as of January 1, 2…Every year the national government checks land prices as of January 1 and announces them. …
On March 19, 2026, METI announced renewable energy purchase prices from FY2026. For commer…The government announced the price at which power companies buy solar electricity (for FY2…
On March 19, 2026 the WTO released its Global Trade Outlook and Statistics. World trade, w…The WTO, an international organisation, has published its outlook for world trade. In 2025…
On March 19, 2026, METI announced that the FY2026 renewable energy surcharge is JPY 4.18 p…The money used to buy electricity made by solar and similar sources is collected little by…
On March 19, 2026, METI set out which commercial solar projects will have their FY2026 pur…For big solar power plants (250 kW or more that meet certain conditions), the buying price…
In the Official Land Prices as of January 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8) announced by MLIT, the nationa…Every year the government checks the price per square meter of land at chosen places (call…
On March 16, 2026 the BIS published its Quarterly Review. It says markets appeared calm on…The BIS, an international organisation, has summed up what happened in the world’s financi…
On March 2, 2026 (Reiwa 8), Kitakyushu City announced that the Kitakyushu Hibikinada Offsh…On March 2, 2026, a power plant that makes electricity from windmills standing on the sea …
The owned real estate record certificate system started operating on February 2, 2026 (Rei…When a family member dies, it is hard to know every piece of land and every building they …
On January 23, 2026, the Bank of Japan published the Bank's view in its Outlook for Econom…Four times a year the Bank of Japan publishes an Outlook Report on how the economy and pri…
In its World Economic Outlook Update of January 19, 2026, the IMF projected global growth …The IMF (International Monetary Fund) publishes its outlook for the world's economies seve…
On January 13, 2026 the World Bank published its Global Economic Prospects. It says the gl…The World Bank, an international organisation, has published its outlook for the world eco…
On January 8 the Bank of Japan published the Regional Economic Report (Sakura Report) for …The Bank of Japan divides the country into nine regions and, four times a year, reports on…
Corporate tax and consumption tax returns of corporations whose capital exceeds JPY 100 mi…Big companies, such as those with capital of more than JPY 100 million, must send their ta…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, the special measure that halves property tax on new…If you own a house or land, you pay a tax every year called property tax. For a newly buil…
The Guidelines on Price Negotiations for the Appropriate Pass-through of Labor Costs, draw…When a business raises the pay of its workers, it wants to raise its prices too. But the c…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, the housing loan tax credit is extended by five yea…When you borrow money to buy a home, there is a system that lowers your yearly tax accordi…
Under the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) tax reform, the reduced registration and license tax on land ow…If you sell something like an empty lot you are not using and make a profit, you pay tax. …
Kitakyushu City and JR Kyushu announced that, for the "Kuzume Station limited express rout…From March 14, 2026, more limited express trains will stop at Kuzume Station, the closest …
On December 23, 2025 (Reiwa 7), Kitakyushu City, together with Yamaguchi Prefecture, issue…On December 23, 2025, Kitakyushu City and Yamaguchi Prefecture announced that the plan for…
On December 23, 2025, a cabinet-level meeting adopted the "Countermeasure Package for Larg…Big solar power plants (mega-solar) can cause worries about nature, safety and scenery. So…
On December 17, 2025 (Reiwa 7), Kitakyushu City announced that it will sign a partnership …Kitakyushu City announced that it will join forces with the monorail and bus companies and…
In the 207th Tankan (Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan, December 2025 sur…The Bank of Japan runs a large survey four times a year asking companies across the countr…
In its December 2025 amendment to the Enforcement Regulations of the Building Lots and Bui…When real estate companies sell or rent a house or condominium, they must explain importan…
On December 8, 2025 the BIS published its Quarterly Review. It says the risk-on mood that …The BIS, an international organisation, has summed up what happened in the world’s financi…
On December 2, 2025 the OECD published its latest Economic Outlook. It says the global eco…The OECD, an international organisation, has published its outlook for the world economy. …
The inherited-land return system (相続土地国庫帰属制度) allows a person who acquired land through in…Holding on to land you inherited from your family but never use is a burden. So in 2023 (R…
The annual income requirement for recognizing dependents has changed from under JPY 1.3 mi…To be covered as a “dependent” under a family member’s health insurance, there is a limit …
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This page summarizes and explains materials published by government agencies. Content is as of the date each article was checked. For decisions in your own case, always consult the original sources and professionals such as tax accountants or labor and social security attorneys. English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions are translations prepared from the Japanese articles for convenience. If anything differs, the Japanese text and the original source take precedence.
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