This is the first question every founder asks — and the last one to get a straight answer. Search online and you will find ranges so wide they are useless: "between ¥60,000 and ¥300,000." That spread covers a GK with minimum capital all the way to a KK with professional service fees bundled in.
The real answer depends on your specific choices: entity type, capital amount, and whether you need certified document copies. Each of these variables maps to a specific fee defined in Japanese law — the Registration and License Tax Act (登録免許税法) for registration tax, and the Notary Act (公証人法) for articles of incorporation authentication.
You do not need a spreadsheet or a legal consultation to get this number. Here is how to calculate it yourself in under a minute.
MmowW Scribe's Company Formation Cost Calculator takes your inputs and returns a precise, itemized estimate. It is designed for founders who want facts, not estimates.
The tool is free, requires no account, and works on any device.
Navigate to the tool at mmoww.net/scribe/tools/cost-calculator. No login or signup is required.
Choose between Kabushiki Kaisha (KK — stock company) or Godo Kaisha (GK — limited liability company). This selection determines your baseline registration tax: ¥150,000 minimum for KK, ¥60,000 minimum for GK, as defined in the Registration and License Tax Act.
Type in your intended capital (資本金). For a KK, the registration tax is 0.7% of capital or ¥150,000, whichever is greater. For a GK, it is 0.7% of capital or ¥60,000, whichever is greater. The calculator handles this logic automatically.
The calculator displays each fee on a separate line:
Download your cost breakdown for reference. Use it in your business plan, share it with co-founders, or bring it to your meeting with a Gyoseishoshi if you decide to hire professional support.
Use our free tool to check your compliance instantly.
Try it free →Solo founder with ¥1 capital: Japan allows formation with as little as ¥1 in capital. The calculator correctly shows that even with ¥1 capital, the minimum registration tax still applies (¥150,000 for KK, ¥60,000 for GK). Some founders are surprised by this — the calculator prevents that surprise.
E-commerce startup with ¥5 million capital: At ¥5,000,000 capital, 0.7% equals ¥35,000 — below the KK minimum of ¥150,000. The calculator applies the minimum. If you switch to GK, 0.7% is still ¥35,000, but the minimum is ¥60,000, so the calculator applies ¥60,000. The ¥90,000 difference becomes immediately visible.
Joint venture with ¥50 million capital: At ¥50,000,000, the 0.7% calculation yields ¥350,000 — above the KK minimum. Now the registration tax is proportional. The calculator reflects this correctly, showing how higher capital increases your formation costs.
Q: Can I use this calculator if I am forming a branch office instead of a new company?
A: The calculator is designed for new company formation (KK and GK). Branch office registration (支店登記) has a different fee structure. MmowW Scribe covers branch registration in its SaaS guidance modules.
Q: Does the calculator account for electronic articles of incorporation?
A: Yes. The calculator shows the cost difference between paper articles (which require ¥40,000 in revenue stamps) and electronic articles (which do not). This is one of the easiest ways to reduce formation costs.
Q: What if my capital amount changes after I use the calculator?
A: Simply re-run the calculator with your updated capital figure. The tool does not store previous estimates unless you choose to save them.
Calculate your exact company formation costs in Japan:
Use the Company Formation Cost Calculator →
60 seconds. Zero guesswork. Every yen accounted for.
Knowing your costs is step one. Filing your registration correctly is step two. MmowW Scribe walks you through the entire formation process — articles of incorporation, seal registration, tax notifications, and more.
Loved for Safety.
Ready to file with confidence? MmowW Scribe guides you step by step — ¥22,000/month.
Try it free — no signup required
Open the free tool →MmowW Scribe SaaS integrates compliance tools, documentation, and team management in one place.
Start 14-Day Free Trial →No credit card required. From 22,000 JPY/month.
Loved for Safety.
Loved for Safety.