Please contact us should you wish to confirm whether a proposed transaction falls within the scope of this package or should you require separate FEFTA advice.
We are pleased to announce that our firm has been featured in the ALB May 2026 ASIA EDITION published by Thomson Reuters. In the 2026 edition, our firm was recognized in the Focused and rising category. This recognition highlights our continued commitment to excellence and the trust of our clients. We sincerely thank our clients and partners for their ongoing support. Hattori Law
Alaska is a geographically vast and resource rich state, with many industrial opportunities such as energy, fisheries, and mining. For businesses involved in seafood distribution contracts, fisheries contract law, or Alaska energy projects, purchasing land to provide a base of operations or to secure access to resources. The process for purchasing land in Alaska is similar to that of other US states, but there are some special considerations to keep in mind. Japanese investors, including those considering Japanese seafood investment in the USA or Japanese energy investment in Alaska, are increasingly exploring these opportunities. In such cases, coordination with cross-border legal counsel experienced in both US Japan transactions and international […]
For Japanese food-service companies that rely on a stable supply of high-quality fish, Alaska has long been a critical source.
Introduction FEFTA’s sector concepts aren’t just labels. They determine whether prior notification and screening are likely, and whether any exemption might exist in listed-company deals. The Ministry of Finance publishes a listed-company classification list to help investors manage risk. This is useful, but not definitive. What sector classification does within FEFTA FEFTA’s screening logic is sector-driven: the question of which sector your target investment is in is the starting point for determining whether prior notification and screening will be required. From “non-designated business sectors” to “designated business sectors” to “core business sectors” to “designated core business entities”, there are increasingly heightened pre-notification and screening requirements, and exemptions become less available. […]
What laws govern foreign investment to Japan? Japan’s main statute that governs foreign investments is the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (“FEFTA”). FEFTA is the core framework governing foreign direct investment into Japan and establishes both filing requirements and government review mechanisms. Under FEFTA, regulated foreign investments are referred to as “inward direct investments”. Unlike many jurisdictions, Japan’s foreign investment rules can apply to transactions of any size and in a wide range of situations. Who does FEFTA apply to? FEFTA regulates investments made by “foreign investors,” a category that includes non‑residents of Japan and Japanese entities that are controlled by foreign persons or foreign entities.[1] Recent revisions have […]
FEFTA has kept changing. On January 7, 2026, Council on Customs, Tariff, Foreign Exchange and other Transactions at Japanese Ministry of Finance submitted a report to the Japanese ministers to opine that amendment of Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regine is necessary. On March 17, 2026, the amendment bill was submitted to the House of Representative already. The amendment is intended to deal with the increasing number of pre-notification filings, clarifying risk mitigation measures for national securities, and changing of alternate parent companies after investment. In this article, I would like to focus on a couple of topics which might be of interest for foreign investors to Japanese companies. Key Takeaways […]
By Shingo Hattori — Founder & Managing Partner, Hattori LawTel: +81 3 6447 5586 Japan’s Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEFTA) imposes strict reporting rules on foreign investors. Even small share purchases can trigger filings: for example, acquiring as little as 1% of a listed company now requires pre‑notification. Foreign investment in certain “sensitive” industries (e.g. defense, energy, high-tech) mandates prior government approval, and post-closing notification is required for non-residents buying land (within 45 days). The 2022 Act on the Review and Regulation of the Use of Real Estate Surrounding Important Facilities and on Remote Territorial Islands (“REIRA”)adds a location-based review: any purchase of real estate within ~1,000 meters of […]
Foreign investors may generally purchase shares in Japanese companies without significant difficulty. However, the applicable regulatory requirements depend on the nature of the investor, the business sector of the target company, and the purpose of the investment. This overview summarizes the main Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (“FEFTA”) categories relevant to investment funds whose investments are purely financial and that have no affiliation with foreign governments or sanctioned countries. As a general rule, if the target company falls within Category 2, 3, or 4 below, a prior notification is required. Categories of the Target Company ① Companies conducting business activities only in non-designated business sectors (subject to post-investment report […]
Japan is a common target for cyber-enabled fraud in the Asia-Pacific region. For multinational groups operating subsidiaries in Japan, recurring scenarios include business email compromise, spoofed vendor change requests, fraudulent wire-transfer instructions, and unauthorized access to online banking platforms. Incidents frequently involve Japanese-language communications, multiple internal approvers, and complex transaction flows across time zones. Even where machine translation or AI tools assist with triage, boards and auditors typically expect a structured fact-finding process that produces a clear audit trail and a defensible narrative of what occurred, when it occurred, and which controls failed or were bypassed. Immediate Priorities: Preserve Evidence and Stabilize Decision-Making A common first step is to initiate […]
1. Why This Matters for Australian General Counsel In recent years, an increasing number of Australian companies have been acquiring Japanese companies or Japanese real estate assets. One key driver is corporate strategy under the weak Japanese yen, which has made Japan an attractive investment destination. From a legal perspective, these transactions often qualify as mergers and acquisitions, even when they appear to be straightforward real estate purchases. For example, acquiring shares of the single purpose company which owns a Japanese real property typically constitutes an M&A transaction under Japanese law. For Australian General Counsel, Japan presents a unique challenge. The legal system, market structure, and availability of legal professionals […]
Overview Many US companies establish their Asia-Pacific headquarters (APAC HQs) in Singapore and place their General Counsel or regional legal team there, with responsibility for overseeing Japan operations. This structure functions effectively for regional governance and compliance. However, when a legal issue arises in Japan—particularly debt collection against a Japanese counterparty—it is essential to understand how the Japanese legal system operates in practice. This article provides a concise, practitioner-oriented overview of Japanese debt collection procedures, focusing on key considerations for in-house and external counsel based in Singapore. A typical scenario is straightforward: a Japanese retailer or distributor fails to pay the contract price. The legal response, however, requires a jurisdiction-specific […]