How to Verify a Japanese Company Before Doing Business (Free Method, 2026)

Quick answer: You can verify any Japanese company in English for free using Yamada Tools' Japan Company Search, which pulls live data from METI's official gBizINFO government database. No signup, no credit card, no Japanese language skills required.

This guide walks you through the full verification process — and shows you exactly how to spot the red flags that signal a fake, fraudulent, or unreliable Japanese business.

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Why Verifying a Japanese Company Matters

Japan has over 4 million registered companies, and not all of them are what they claim to be. Foreign businesses doing trade, investment, or partnership deals with Japan regularly fall into three traps:

• Scam companies with names that mimic famous brands (e.g., 'Sony Trading Co.' is not part of Sony Group)
• Shell companies with no real operations, used to extract upfront payments and then disappear
• Closed or bankrupt entities that still maintain a polished public website to lure new victims

A 2-minute verification check at the start of any business relationship saves you from losing thousands — sometimes tens of thousands — of dollars.

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What You Need (Almost Nothing)

You do not need:

• A Japanese bank account
• A Japanese phone number
• Knowledge of the Japanese language
• A paid subscription to a KYB service
• A lawyer or accountant in Japan

You only need the company name your supplier or partner gave you — in English, Japanese, or romaji.

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Step 1: Search the Company by Name

Open the Japan Company Search (English) tool.

Type the company name into the search box. You can use:

• English brand name — e.g., Toyota, Sony, Rakuten, Uniqlo
• Japanese name — e.g., トヨタ自動車, 株式会社ソニーグループ
• Romaji — e.g., Toyota Jidosha, Kabushiki Kaisha XYZ

The tool searches Japan's official gBizINFO database — operated by METI, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. gBizINFO aggregates official data from the National Tax Agency, Patent Office, financial regulators, and other government agencies. This is the same data Japanese banks, lawyers, and accountants reference.

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Step 2: Read the Search Results

Each result shows four key pieces of information you must verify:

1. The 13-Digit Corporate Number (法人番号 / Houjin Bangou)

This is Japan's official business ID, equivalent to the US EIN or the UK Company Number. Every legitimate Japanese company has one — without exception.

If a 'company' you're dealing with cannot give you their 13-digit corporate number, walk away. This is the single most reliable scam-detection signal.

2. The Registered Address

This is the address officially filed with the National Tax Agency. Compare it against the address on the supplier's invoice, website, or business card. Mismatches are a serious warning sign — though not always fraud, since some legitimate companies have separate operating addresses.

3. The Registration Date (設立年月日)

A 'company' claiming '50 years of experience' but registered in 2024 is lying. Always cross-check the registration date against the company's marketing claims, LinkedIn profile, or stated history.

4. Government Activity Records

This number reflects how often the company appears in official government databases — patent filings, government contracts, regulatory disclosures, certifications, awards.

• Thousands of records = highly established business
• Hundreds of records = normal established SME
• Zero records = either a brand-new company OR a shell entity (red flag if they claim long history or major scale)

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Step 3: Confirm the Company Type

Japanese companies come in several legal forms. The two you'll encounter most often:

株式会社 (Kabushiki Kaisha / KK)

The Japanese equivalent of a US C-corporation. Most large companies (Toyota, Sony, Honda, Mitsubishi) are KK. Higher regulatory oversight, more transparent disclosures, generally more prestigious.

合同会社 (Godo Kaisha / GK)

Similar to a US LLC. Popular with small businesses and foreign-owned Japan subsidiaries because it's cheaper and faster to set up. Apple Japan and Amazon Japan are GK.

Neither is 'bad' — but a major foreign trade deal with a brand-new GK that has zero government records and a virtual-office address is highly suspicious.

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Step 4: Check for Red Flags

Watch for these warning signs:

1. Name mimicry. 'Sony Trading' vs 'Sony Group'. Always verify the exact registered name and corporate number match.
2. Virtual office addresses. If the registered address is a known co-working space, virtual mailbox, or generic business center, ask why and request proof of physical operations.
3. Recent registration + long-history claims. Registered in 2025 but 'serving customers since 1980' = fraud.
4. Zero government records on a 'major' company. Real established businesses have a paper trail across patent filings, contracts, and certifications.
5. Inability or refusal to provide the 13-digit corporate number. Non-negotiable. Every real Japanese company has one and knows it.
6. Bank account name doesn't match the registered corporate name. Wire transfers should go to the company's exact registered name. Personal accounts or unrelated company names are classic invoice-fraud indicators.

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Step 5: Cross-Check for High-Stakes Deals

For deals worth more than a few thousand US dollars, do these extra checks:

• Request a corporate registry certificate (履歴事項全部証明書 / rireki jikou zenbu shoumeisho) from the supplier. This is an official document from Japan's Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局). It shows the full history of the company, including all directors, capital changes, and address changes. It costs about ¥600.
• Search the Houjin Bangou Site (Japan's official corporate number database, operated by the National Tax Agency) for the exact registered name.
• If the company is publicly listed, check EDINET (Electronic Disclosure for Investors' NETwork) for their financial disclosures.
• For mission-critical partnerships, hire a Japanese 税理士 (licensed tax accountant), 公認会計士 (certified public accountant), or 行政書士 (administrative scrivener) for a formal due diligence report.

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Real Example: Verifying a Mystery Supplier

Let's say a Japanese company contacts you on Alibaba offering bulk electronics at suspiciously low prices. They say their name is 'Tokyo Electric Trading K.K.' and they want a 30% upfront wire transfer.

Here's how you handle it:

1. Search 'Tokyo Electric Trading' in Japan Company Search.
2. You find three results with similar names.
3. Ask the supplier for their 13-digit corporate number — every real Japanese business knows theirs.
4. Match the number against the search result. If they can't provide it, that's your answer.
5. Check their registration date. If they registered last month but claim 20 years of operations, that's your answer.
6. Check their registered address. If it's a known virtual office in Roppongi or a co-working space, ask for warehouse photos with timestamps.
7. Check the bank account name on the invoice. If it's a personal name or different from the registered company name, walk away.

If any step fails, you've just saved yourself from a scam — for free, in under 5 minutes.

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Common Questions

Is METI gBizINFO data really free?

Yes. METI provides gBizINFO as a free public service. Our tool simply makes it searchable in English. There are no hidden fees, no signup, and no credit card required.

Can I search by corporate number directly?

Yes. If you already have the 13-digit number, paste it into the search box for an exact match.

What if the company has multiple branches?

Large corporations like Toyota have many subsidiaries (Tokyo Toyota, Osaka Toyota, Toyota Tsusho, etc.). Each subsidiary has its own corporate number. Make sure the corporate number on the invoice matches the entity you're actually transacting with — not a sister company.

Is this enough for formal KYB compliance?

For low-risk transactions and casual due diligence, yes. For regulated industries (finance, pharmaceuticals, government contracting, securities), you'll need a formal KYB provider or a Japanese licensed professional. But this tool is the universal first step of any verification process — including in regulated industries.

How current is the data?

gBizINFO updates monthly with data from the National Tax Agency. Most company information (name, address, status) is current within 30 days. Newly registered companies may take 1–2 months to appear.

Does this work for foreign-owned Japanese subsidiaries?

Yes. Any company registered with Japan's National Tax Agency appears in gBizINFO, regardless of ownership. Apple Japan, Google Japan, Amazon Japan, IKEA Japan — all appear with full corporate data.

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Try It Now

👉 Japan Company Search (English) — Free

No signup. No credit card. Results in under 2 seconds.

Written by the Yamada Tools editorial team. Data sourced from METI gBizINFO. Last updated May 2026.