Apr 15 (Nikkei) - The Japanese government has asked multiple large foreign tech companies, including Google and Meta, to register their overseas global headquarters in Japan, in addition to their local units, Nikkei has learned.
Without such registrations, the government considers it difficult to understand the activities and determine appropriate taxation of tech giants, since they are able to provide services from anywhere in the world through the internet, even without actual offices.
As other countries move to tighten regulations, the Japanese government is also looking to protect customers and small businesses that deal with big tech companies by being thorough with registrations, and by keeping tabs on their activities.
Japan's corporate law already requires foreign enterprises that operate continuously within the country's borders to register their overseas headquarters, but many tech companies have been registering only their Japanese arms despite this rule.
The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications have asked Meta, which owns Facebook, and others to register their overseas headquarters by the end of March, or to provide explanations for why they cannot by mid-April, according to people familiar with the matter. ...continue reading
