- Entry
- No sign-in [1]
Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- Corporate-number search requires no account. The separate registry-PDF service requires access credentials. [1] [6] [9]
- Search language
- Corporate-number search offers Japanese and English. English names and addresses appear only if submitted by the organisation. [1] [2]
- Digital documents
- Paid registry information is supplied as a PDF under My Page. It is not an official certificate. [10] [6] [7] [8]
- Document language
- English annual securities reports are separately available where the company provides a translation. [13] [14]
- Paper and collection
- Official registry certificates are supplied on paper by post or for collection, including when ordered online. [3] [4] [5]
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Basic data free · register PDF JPY 330 · official certificate from JPY 490
- Access
- Basic data without an account; register PDF with access credentials and payment; certificates on paper
Choose the right register
Japan separates the Ministry of Justice’s commercial and corporate register from the tax authority’s corporate-number directory. The directory publishes the name, head-office address and 13-digit Corporate Number. It is not a register certificate. [1] [2]
Local Legal Affairs Bureaux maintain the registers. The linked Tōki Jōhō Teikyō Service supplies paid information from them as a PDF. Official certificates are separate products. [4] [7] [15]
Public basic data; English names and addresses only where registered in English.
Japanese-language access to paid register PDFs.
Official paper register certificates by post or collection.
Annual securities reports and other filings by reporting issuers.
Names and abbreviations explained
- Corporate Number / Hōjin Bangō法人番号
- The 13-digit number assigned by the National Tax Agency. It differs from the 12-digit identifier used in the commercial and corporate register. [2] [8]
- Kaisha Hōjin Tō Bangō会社法人等番号
- The 12-digit register identifier. For registered corporations, a further digit is prefixed to this number to produce the 13-digit Corporate Number. [8]
- KK / Kabushiki Kaisha株式会社
- A Japanese joint-stock company. The legal-form suffix or prefix belongs to its name, but the register search has separate instructions for entering the name. [14] [8]
- GK / Gōdō Kaisha合同会社
- A Japanese limited liability company with separate legal personality. Its legal requirements differ from those of a KK. [14]
- Tōki Jōhō Teikyō Service登記情報提供サービス
- The paid electronic registration-information service. Its PDFs contain register information but are not officially certified copies. [6] [7]
- EDINETElectronic Disclosure for Investors’ NETwork
- The Financial Services Agency’s system for statutory securities disclosures. It does not cover every Japanese company. [12]
Search step by step
Identify the correct corporation
Start with its name or Corporate Number
Open the corporate-number directory. Choose “Search with name, address, etc.” or “Search with Corporate Number”. The name search can be narrowed by address and organisation type. [1]
Understand the English search limitation
The English site publishes English names and addresses only when the organisation has requested their registration. Switch to the Japanese version if an English name produces no result. [1] [2]
Record the identifiers for the register search
Save the Japanese name, head-office address and Corporate Number. The separate “会社法人等番号” field in the register service requires the 12-digit register identifier. [2] [8]
Obtain officers and register details as a PDF
Choose an access option
For occasional requests, select “一時利用”, temporary access. Preregistration sends your login details by email. Open the link within 30 minutes. New requests are available only on the day you first log in. The payment card must support EMV 3-D Secure, the card issuer’s authentication system. [9]
Find the corporation in the register
The instructions lead from “商業・法人請求” to the company search. Search by name, “フリガナ” (phonetic name in kana) or register identifier. Name and kana searches allow prefix, partial or exact matching. Omit legal-form terms such as 株式会社 from the name field. [8]
Select the result and save the register information
Select the correct corporation and request its complete register information. The total charge has been JPY 330 since 1 April 2026. Retrieve the PDF through “マイページ”, My Page. It is not an officially certified copy. [6] [7] [8] [10]
Order an official register certificate
Choose the required scope
Select current matters, registration history, closed register matters or representation authority. The standard historical certificate does not necessarily provide the complete history since incorporation. [4]
Open the online application
Use “かんたん登記・供託申請”, the Ministry of Justice’s browser-based application service. Register your applicant details. An ordinary register-certificate request does not require an electronic signature. Third parties may also request certificates. [4] [5]
Choose postal delivery or collection
Online requests cost JPY 520 for postal delivery or JPY 490 for collection. A written request costs JPY 600. These base fees cover up to 50 pages. Add JPY 100 for each further 50 pages or part thereof. Special postal services cost extra. [3] [5]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register-information PDF [6] [7] [9] [10] | Electronic commercial and corporate register information for research, without an official certification statement. | JPY 330 per request | Tōki service; temporary email/card access or a registered account.
|
| 現在事項証明書: certificate of current matters [3] [4] [5] | Currently effective registered matters with specified supplementary information, including incorporation date and the immediately previous name or office where applicable. | JPY 490 online for collection; JPY 520 online by post; JPY 600 by written request, each up to 50 pages | Ministry of Justice application; paper output.
|
| 履歴事項証明書: certificate with registration history [3] [4] [5] | Current matters and deleted entries within the statutory period. For a request made in 2026, that period begins on 1 January 2023. | Same base fees as a certificate of current matters | Paper request. Request closed register matters separately for older deleted information. |
| 代表者事項証明書: certificate of representation matters [3] [4] [5] | Currently effective matters relating to the authority of company representatives. | Same base fees as a certificate of current matters | Paper request through the Ministry of Justice. |
| Certified beneficial-ownership list [16] [17] | A list submitted by an eligible company under the Ministry of Justice’s separate scheme. | No fee under the scheme | Requested by the eligible company or its authorised representative, not a public third-party ordering service. |
Companies, branches and registered information
A Japanese subsidiary, such as a KK or GK, has its own legal personality. A registered branch remains part of the foreign company. A representative office cannot conduct sales activities and is not registered as a company. [14]
Depending on the entity, register certificates include business purposes, registered office, incorporation date, capital, share information and registered officers or representatives. Use the representation details to establish who has authority to act for the company. [4] [15]
Access from abroad
The public corporate-number search needs no account. For register PDFs, the service offers temporary access with email and a credit card. Card authentication can require an additional step with the issuer. A permanent individual registration has a separate one-off fee of JPY 300; corporate registration costs JPY 740. [1] [6] [9]
Entitlement to request ordinary official certificates is not limited to the company itself. Online orders nevertheless produce paper documents. Arrange a delivery address or collection, and discuss overseas delivery with the relevant Legal Affairs Bureau. [4] [5]
Financial statements and securities reports
Use EDINET for financial disclosures by reporting issuers. It includes annual securities reports and substantial-shareholding disclosures. A Corporate Number does not itself provide a balance sheet, and EDINET does not cover every corporation. [2] [12]
English translations of annual securities reports are available separately where companies provide them. A voluntary English annual report is not automatically a translation of the statutory annual securities report. JETRO’s comparison of legal forms states that a GK need not publish its financial results. [13] [14]
Beneficial ownership and protected residential addresses
The Ministry of Justice’s beneficial-ownership list scheme is a separate voluntary procedure for eligible Japanese companies. The company or its authorised representative submits a list and can obtain a certified copy. It is not a public search for arbitrary third parties. Ask the company to supply its copy where needed. [16] [17]
Since 1 October 2024, certain representatives of a KK can have their residential addresses partially suppressed where the conditions are met. Public outputs then show only the municipality or applicable city ward. The measure also applies to electronic register information. [11]
Official samples and reading guides
Register information: Japanese PDF sample
The sample shows commercial and corporate register information. This information is for research and does not carry an official certification statement. [18] [6]
Certificate of current matters: Japanese specimen
The first two pages show a specimen of a certificate of current registered matters. Specimens of other certificate types follow. An ordered certificate is supplied on paper. [19] [3] [4]
Avoid common mistakes
- The 13-digit Corporate Number and the 12-digit register identifier belong in different search fields. Do not paste the same number into both services without checking the field. [2] [8]
- Unusual characters can prevent a company-name search in the register service. The official instructions recommend using the phonetic kana name or register identifier instead. [8]
- A historical certificate does not necessarily show every change since incorporation. Older deleted information may require a separate certificate of closed register matters. [4]
Frequently asked questions
Does the free number directory identify the company’s management?
No. Its basic published items are the name, head-office address and Corporate Number. Check management and representation authority in the commercial and corporate register. [2] [15]
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 14 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.