Hello! I established a GK in Japan last Fall and recently arrived after subsequently obtaining a business manager visa. I’m currently getting everything set-up (bank accounts, housing, paperwork, etc).
As an executive of the GK, I had to decide what my yearly salary is and provide official documentation of it as part of my visa application. Naturally, understanding that the COE and visa process can not only be long, but a largely variable amount of time, I asked my immigration lawyers (行政書士) if I needed to pay myself salary before I arrived in Japan. They told me I don’t need to.
Long story short, I’m currently looking for a new tax accountant office to support payroll/tax/labor insurance/etc for my GK. During the introductory call, the above topic came up, and I was told that I in fact, must pay myself the executive compensation, even if I wasn’t in Japan yet.
Of course, this puts me in a bind where I may have to suddenly pay myself some months of salary unexpectedly. Because the information I got from two different professional offices is conflicting, I’m trying to dig to figure out what’s correct. I emailed my immigration lawyers to confirm what they told me previously, but I have not received a response yet.
I came here to see if anyone else has been in a similar situation, knows if there’s specific or special rules about this kind of situation, or perhaps has some clues to help me proceed in the right direction.
Thank you so much!
by Mukikaizoku