ABSTRACT
An international joint venture in Japan can rightfully be considered the epitome of doing business with the Japanese. In business there is more than the contract; there is the relationship, be it for distributorship, licensing or plain purchasing and selling. Occasionally the foreign investor expects that all aspects of a joint venture can be set out in a single document. The application for validation is another of the necessary legal documents for the establishment of the joint venture. The application must include an explanatory statement describing the proposed business of the joint venture and showing how it will benefit the Japanese economy. All international contracts, including the joint venture contract, must be filed within thirty days of their execution with the Fair Trade Commission which judges their appropriateness from the angle of anti-monopoly legislation. Joint ventures in Japan are essentially manufacturing and/or marketing operations.
