Introduction

Taxation law is getting more and more complicated, isn't it? Even we tax consultants get that feeling. Increasing cross-border business(to business) and employment, increasing diversification in financial products, increasingly sophisticated information systems. Taxation obligation has traditionally been assessed based on items, facts and activities, so it is only natural that with increasing economic diversification and complexity, tax law would also become more intricate.
This tax law complexity itself has in turn influenced economic activity. The movement of intangible assets to countries with low taxation (tax havens); the use of e.g. hybrid mismatch arrangements and Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS, the erosion of tax income sources through moving intangible assets and profits); corporate decision-making based on the existing taxation system is becoming the norm.
“As economic activity brings about new tax regulation, this tax regulation itself causes economic activity to change.” Will this tendency continue endlessly into the future? The readers of this site will no doubt have more than once done their own research into the taxation system. When you did this research, what was your impression? The Japanese system has always had such unique subtleties that I wonder if it wouldn't be especially difficult for people from other countries to understand.
Even for those people who have lived or worked in Japan for a long time, and who were getting used to the taxation system, trying to keep up with the rapid proliferation in changes to regulations is enough to make your head spin!
What is the role of the tax accountant? There are an infinite variety of answers to that question, but, for me, my role is to provide a way, through the consultancy process, for the taxpayer to find the best solutions for their taxation issues. In the course of my career, in taxation, accounting, asset management, law, etc, I was able to carry out consultancy in a variety of forms. However, so much of my time was taken up with paperwork and internal meetings, that the number of issues that I could provide consultancy for was limited, and I found this restrictive.
"I want to help more clients." Quite simply, that is why I set up my own consultancy.
Looking at the business world of today, on the one hand, you can easily obtain beginner-friendly accountancy software, there is information available at the touch of a button, and there are cloud-based ERP sytems where you can model your projections, and there is continual progress in the user-friendliness of financial information tools. However, the same cannot be said for the availability of integrated and wide-ranging advice and support regarding the taxation business and the labor market, particularly for foreign affiliated companies or non-Japanese individuals.
At Nakamura Tax Consultation Office, whether you are a foreign company considering expansion into the Japanese market, a foreign national living in Japan, someone considering a posting overseas, a private investor, or a Japanese entrepreneur, regardless of nationality, I can provide all kinds of consultancy and advice.