Travel Industry

Are you interested in starting a travel business in Japan?

With the number of travelers to Japan reaching record levels in recent years, what better time than now?

From finding an office and employing staff to starting up your company and gaining the appropriate permits and visa, we are able to support you from start to finish with establishing your presence in Japan.

Our Services

Class I, II & III Travel Business License Application Service	These licenses allow you to operate travel packages produced by your own company, either with customers sourced by yourself or through other travel operators See below for details of the respective classes
Travel Agency License Application Service	This license allows you to operate as an agent and/or subcontractor for other travel operators
Japan Association of Travel Agents Membership Application Service	Application for membership of the Japan Association of Travel Agents and All Nippon Travel Agents Association
Registration Renewal Application Service	Registration should be renewed every 5 years
Registration Update Application Service	A registration updated is needed when there is any change in the company’s trade name, board of directors, address and/or operation office
License Class Change Application Service	Application to change Travel Business Licenses (e.g. from Class I to Class II)
Annual Turnover Report Service	We can support you with filing this report, which must be submitted within 100 days of the end of every financial year

Which Class Does My Business Belong To?

The following two distinctions are the main deciders of which class of license your business requires.

• Are your tour packages ready-made or custom-built?
• Will you operate internationally or domestically (within Japan)?

The following chart shows which class you should belong to depending on your answers to the above questions.

	Ready-Made		Custom-Built
	International	Domestic	International	Domestic
Class I	✔	✔	✔	✔
Class II	×	✔	✔	✔
Class III	×	※	✔	✔

※ Class III is only applicable when payments for the travel package are made on the day of the tour, i.e. not in advance.

Requirements

N.B. These are general requirements and do not necessarily reflect the reality of what may be needed for your specific application.

1. Financial Requirements

Depending on the class you apply for, you must be able to provide the following financial backing to your business in Japan.

	Security Deposit	Standard Assets
Class I	¥70m	¥30m
Class II	¥11m	¥7m
Class III	¥3m	¥3m

2. Articles of Association

Once your company is established in Japan, the ‘purpose’ section of your Articles of Association should include the phrase ‘travel agency business operating in accordance with Travel Agency Law’.

We can help with this process whether you are starting your business from scratch or entering into Japan’s travel industry as an existing Japanese corporation.

3. Certified Travel Supervisor (Manager)

In order to run your business, you will need to employ at least one Certified Travel Supervisor (Manager).

If you have more than 10 employees in one office, you will need 2 or more Certified Travel Supervisors (Managers).

N.B. Some Certified Travel Supervisors are only qualified to supervise domestic travel, so please be sure to check this before employing anyone.

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For any queries about Japan’s travel industry or about how to establish your travel company, please do not hesitate to contact us!

*Please be aware that the contents of this site are naturally subject to change, meaning that we cannot guarantee their accuracy at the point of access.
For up-to-date information, please contact us directly.*