Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/06/05

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Japan Market Entry (off-topic); was Funny Glass?
From: pcb@iac.co.jp (Paul C. Brodek)
Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 18:44:16 +0900

Marc,

I guess there could be exceptions in some industries, but AFAIK there
is currently no law or bureaucratic "guidance" requiring foreign
corporations entering Japan to take a Japanese partner.  I didn't have
to do it, and none of the people I know who've entered the market here
over the past 9 years have had to.

I think there is a requirement, while incorporation documents are
being processed, to have at least 3 corporate directors resident in
Japan, but even for small start-ups this isn't much of a hurdle.
Usually your lawyers assume the role until the incorporation is final,
at which point they step down and transfer their shares to whomever
the company specifies.

In Ford and Kodak's case, they probably made their market entry early
in this century, when such a law might have been in effect. =20


On Wed, 03 Jun 1998 21:43:09 -0400, Marc James Small
<msmall@roanoke.infi.net> wrote:

>I am relatively certain that this restriction is still in place -- both
>Ford and Kodak were forced to take Japanese partners before being =
allowed
>to market in Japan.  That was the principal complaint Kodak had in their
>recent trade dispute.

>At 08:25 AM 6/4/98 +0900, Ken Lisaka wrote:
>>Many, many years ago, during and not long after the MacArthur era,
>>foreign corporations were made to partner with their Japanese
>>competitor, not too much unlike the current Australian law. =20

Cheers!

PB

Paul C. Brodek/Trek Japan
E-mail: pcb@iac.co.jp
Tel: 078-413-6606 (Int'l: 81-78-413-6606)
=46ax: 078-413-6607 (Int'l: 81-78-413-6607)