How to Verify a Japanese Company: 5 Official Sources

Company checking works best as an identity-matching exercise, not as a search for one decisive label. A Japanese business may appear under Japanese characters, an English trading name, a marketplace account, and a website brand. Your first task is to connect those names to one legal entity and one 13-digit corporate number.

Start with the legal identity

Ask the company for its full Japanese legal name, corporate number, registered address, and the name shown on its bank account. If an invoice registration number is provided, record that too. A corporate invoice number normally starts with T followed by the same 13 digits as the corporate number.

Normalize obvious formatting differences before comparing records. Japanese corporate markers may appear at the beginning or end of a name. English versions may use KK, Inc., or Co., Ltd. A variation is a reason to continue matching identifiers and addresses; it is not itself evidence of a problem.

Source 1: National Tax Agency corporate-number publication

The National Tax Agency publishes the legal name, corporate number, address, assignment date, and closure information of covered entities. Search by the exact 13 digits whenever possible. A name search can produce several entities with similar names, while the number is unique.

Compare the published legal name and address with the quotation, invoice, website disclosure, and bank instructions you received. Also check whether the record is active or closed. If a closed record identifies a successor number, follow that link and ask the counterparty to explain the relationship.

This source establishes that a corporate number and published identity exist. It does not report ownership, financial condition, product quality, or authority of the individual contacting you.

Source 2: qualified invoice issuer publication

Japan’s qualified-invoice system has a separate public database. For a corporation, remove the leading T and compare the remaining digits with the corporate number. Confirm the registration date and whether the registration remains active.

Not every transaction requires the counterparty to be registered. Absence therefore has a tax-context meaning, not a general business judgment. Ask your accountant how the status affects consumption-tax documentation in your specific transaction.

Source 3: 経済産業省 gBizINFO

gBizINFO aggregates published corporate information and may show certifications, subsidies, government procurement, patents, and workplace information. Search by corporate number to reduce ambiguity. Treat each item according to its date and source.

A result can add context and strengthen the identity match. An empty result may simply mean that the company has no covered item or that the particular dataset is not available through the service. JapanCompanyCheck caches gBizINFO responses for seven days and displays the retrieval date.

Source 4: the commercial registry certificate

When a contract, large payment, or authority question requires formal evidence, obtain a commercial registry certificate from the Legal Affairs Bureau process. The certificate may contain the registered head office, incorporation details, purposes, directors or representative information, and other legally registered matters, depending on the certificate type.

Do not rely on an image sent by an unknown counterparty when the stakes justify obtaining the document independently. Check its issue date, corporate number, and legal name. JapanCompanyCheck does not scrape or republish these documents; see our overseas registry certificate guide.

Source 5: the website’s legal disclosure

Consumer-facing Japanese sites may publish a Tokushōhō disclosure page. Look for the operator’s legal name, representative, address, phone number, prices, payment timing, delivery, returns, and cancellation terms. Compare the operator identity with the corporate-number record.

A brand and operator may differ for a documented reason, such as a parent company or marketplace arrangement. The important step is to identify who accepts payment and bears the contractual obligations. Read our Tokushōhō guide for the fields to capture.

Build an evidence table

Create one row for each source and record the exact identifier, name, address, status, retrieval date, and URL. Mark a field as “not found in this source” when it is absent. Do not fill a gap from another website without labeling that separate source.

Resolve contradictions before payment. Ask for a written explanation when bank beneficiary details, invoice details, domain contact information, or the contracting entity do not align. A reasonable explanation should still be supported by documents and identifiers.

Finally, match payment controls to the size and reversibility of the transaction. Confirm who can sign, use written specifications, preserve correspondence, and consider professional advice for material transactions. Start with the JapanCompanyCheck checker and then review what a Japanese address can tell you.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Japanese corporate number?

A 13-digit identifier the National Tax Agency designates for a registered entity. Search by the exact digits whenever possible, because names can repeat while the number is unique. The corporate-number guide explains the format and status fields.

Does every counterparty need an invoice registration?

No. Registration matters in a consumption-tax documentation context, not as a general business judgment. Ask your accountant how the status affects documentation in your specific transaction.

What should I do when the record shows a closed status?

Check whether a successor number is published and follow that link. Ask the counterparty to explain the relationship in writing before proceeding.

Does an empty gBizINFO result mean a company is inactive?

No. It may mean the company has no covered item or that the particular dataset is unavailable. Treat each source for what it actually reports.