Japan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in japan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Licensing Requirements for Professional Services
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Professionals with only U.S. certifications have limited ability to practice or work in Japan.


Legal Services

To be licensed to practice Japanese law in Japan, professionals must complete an undergraduate law education in Japan or attend a Japanese law school, pass the Japanese bar examination, and complete one-year training at the Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan’s Supreme Court. However, qualified international attorneys may become “Foreign Law Business Attorneys” (“Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi”) upon application to and approval by the Minister of Justice and registration with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA). 

Based on an amendment to the Act on Special Measures concerning the Handling of Legal Services by Foreign Lawyers (known as the 2020 Gaiben Law), requirements to receive a Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi license include the need to have practiced at least one year in the home jurisdiction, plus two years in Japan, for a of three years of experience. While registered foreign lawyers are prohibited from handling legal matters that involve Japanese law, the 2020 Gaiben law expands their scope to handle international arbitration and mediation. 

Accountancy

The highest-grade accounting license in Japan is the Certified Public Accountant. To become a Japanese CPA, one must pass the CPA examination and have a minimum two years of practical accounting or auditing experience. Experience can be completed before or after the CPA exam. The CPA Examination is conducted only in Japanese. After passing the exam, one must complete a three-year professional accountancy education program provided by the Japan Foundation for Accounting Education and Learning (JFAEL). Those who completed the program are qualified to take the final assessments conducted by the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) and the successful candidates are eligible to register with the JICPA. See requirements and steps. 

Certified Public Tax Accountant

Japan also has a Certified Public Tax Accountant certification. Becoming a Certified Public Tax Accountant requires passing the Certified Public Tax Accountant examination or being already registered as an Attorney at Law or a Certified Public Accountant. To practice, a Certified Public Tax Accountant must also be registered with the Japan Federation of Certified Public Tax Accountants Association website.   

Consulting

There are no special qualifications required to become a business, management, or human resources consultant in Japan. Some consultants are often accredited as Certified Public or Tax Accounts.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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