In general, there is little English information made available on licenses and permissions in Japan.  In particular, if a company is active in sectors such as construction or the medical sector, licenses will be required. It is advisable to orientate at an early stage what licenses are required. 

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism gives a general outline regarding the construction license system in Japan.

Link:  The Construction License System in Japan 

To obtain a construction license, it will mean that a foreign company will have to show that it has relevant in-house engineering capabilities.  In practice, this will mean that a company will have to individually apply with MLIT or a regional organization and have the qualifications of the engineers present in the company verified for equivalency.  The presence of qualified engineers is usually also part of obtaining the supplier qualifications for public works (keishin). The JTPP Helpdesk can assist you with obtaining licenses if necessary.  

Medical sector

If the procurement concerns medical or pharmaceutical products, the tender notice will stipulate as one of the preconditions for suppliers that they have registered with the relevant authorities, in accordance with the pharmaceutical affairs law, to initiate a business of selling medical appliances, or that they have obtainted a first-class license for selling drugs in accordance with the pharmaceutical law. Also they need to obtain accrediation as a foreign manufacturer of drugs and medical devices. After obtaining accreditation, companies will also have to obtain import permits for each medical device seperately. 

There is substantial information in English available about the procedures and the Japanese government strives to shorten the time it takes to have products approved. More information on procedures and regulations is available at Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)  and Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) 

EU-Japan Centre's News

More
The EU Business Hub @ Smart Energy Week Autumn 2025 Business Mission, taking place from September…
The EU Japan Centre is releasing a weekly press review covering Japan's economic and policy matters…
We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming webinars that will take place in May/June. Do not…
The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, Tokyo Office, is seeking an intern to support…
The EU Japan Centre is releasing a weekly press review covering Japan's economic and policy matters…

Events

More
Online and in Japan
19/05/2025 - 13/06/2025
19-23 May 2025 → 1st phase online 9-13 June  2025→ 2nd phase in Japan PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES “Get Ready for Japan” aims to help understand Japanese business practices and communication styles and…
18/06/2025 - 20/06/2025
  VISIT OUR BOOTH The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation will exhibit at the Japan Energy Summit & Exhibition and will support three innovative EU companies at its booth: - ACT Group: …
We use a selection of our own and third-party cookies on the pages of this website. If you choose "ACCEPT ALL", you consent to the use of all cookies. You can accept and reject individual cookie types.
Related
Subscribe to
our newsletters

The EU-Japan Centre currently produces 5 newsletters :

  • EU-Japan NEWS - our flagship newsletter covering the Centre's support services, information about EU (or Member States) - Japan cooperation
  • Japanese Industry and Policy News
  • “About Japan” e-News (Only available for EU companies / EU organisations)
  • Japan Tax and Public Procurement Weekly Tender Digest (Only available for EU companies / EU organisations)
  • Tech Transfer Helpdesk Newsletter
Subscribe