Provisional
Translation

Five Promises for Attracting Foreign Businesses to Japan
Resolution ofINVEST JAPANMarch 17, 2015
The Japanese economy is realizing steady growth for both real gross domestic productand gross national income including income from overseas. Because of the developmentof a positive cycle of the economy due to Abenomics, ordinary income for Japanesecompanies is at a record high. The government will advance integrated reforms in Japanand overseas, which are fixed firmly on an open world. It aims to conclude thenegotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership early, and to reach agreement in principle
for the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement during 2015. With regard to corporatetax, the government will begin to lower effective corporate tax rate in FY2015 and willbring the rate down to the 20-29% range over the next few years, advancing corporate tax
reforms that will bring taxation to levels that compare favorably in international terms.
The government will strongly advance the reform of vested interests in areas such asagriculture, medical service, energy and employment. With regard to exchange rates, theJapanese yen has moved in the direction of depreciation. Against this background, theinternational competitiveness of Japan as a business location has been increasing
dramatically.
However, companies expected to invest and locate in Japan are not limited to Japaneseenterprises. In a survey of the appeal of Asian countries as overseas investment
destinations for Western and Asian companies, Japan was ranked Number 1 as an R&D
base and sales base in FY2013. Also at international comparison indicators forcompetitiveness, Japan scored highly for items centered on innovation environment andcompleteness of infrastructure, and the reputation for Japan has risen. Reflecting theseimprovements in Japan’s location environment, the flow of foreign direct investment into
Japan for 2014 turned out to have almost tripled from the previous year.
In order to revitalize Japan, the Japanese Government desires to make the country more
open and encourage even more active location in Japan of foreign businesses withdiversified cultures that have latent potential to bring with them into Japan new businessmodels as well as cutting-edge R&D. However, due to the impediments such as
differences in language, institution and customs, it has not been possible to say thatconvenience for employees of foreign companies in doing business and living with their1families in Japan has been sufficiently assured. Taking the holding of the 2020 Olympicand Paralympic Games in Tokyo as an opportunity, the Japanese Government here holdsa meeting of the Council for Promotion of Foreign Direct Investment with attendance by
the Prime Minister, and adopts the following “Five Promises for Attracting ForeignBusinesses to Japan” concerning items that many overseas companies have indicated are
causing inconvenience or impediments, and will immediately begin implementation ofthese measures for improvement in FY2015 in order to strongly encourage foreigncompanies considering new investment destinations to choose Japan, which has regained
its sparkle.

Promise 1
Measures will be taken to enable people from abroad to select and purchaseproducts in foreign languages at department stores, supermarkets, andconvenience stores, etc.; to be treated without anxiety over language at a hospitalwhen they become ill, and to have signs in foreign languages available when they
travel by car, train, or bus.
1. With regard to foreign language services in the retail industry (department stores,supermarkets, and convenience stores, etc.,) a survey will be conducted in FY2015 ofthe needs of foreigners when shopping, and based on the results of this survey,
measures are to be implemented by the end of FY2019 with regard to focus areas andtarget products while considering the burden on business operators.
(a) With regard to signs inside retail stores, based on the results of the survey on theneeds of foreigners when shopping, a guidelines aimed at multilingualization ofstore signs will be prepared in FY2015.
(b) With regard to the multilingualization of information for individual products onsale, a standardized QR code is to be attached to products, price tags or other tags;
these can be scanned using electronic devices such as mobile telephones and tablets,
providing product information in multiple languages. In concrete terms, a review
panel will be established in early FY2015 to consider foreign-language productinformation provision services, including methods other than QR codes, with theaim of formulating standard specifications within FY2015.
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2. 30 base hospitals which has medical interpreters and healthcare coordinators speaking
foreign languages, thus enabling foreigners receive Japanese medical services safely
and relaxed will be created nationwide by 2020. The government will expand anexception about doctors from abroad in the National Strategic Special Zones.
3. With regard to the multilingualization of restaurants, over the next three years,
measures will be taken so that multilingual services such as the provision of menus in
multiple languages become the norm for restaurants used frequently by foreigners.
For that end, in FY2015, efforts will be made to spread multilingual services incoordination with national and regional industry organizations through the holding of(a) seminars to spread information about the merits of promoting multilingualization,and (b) seminars providing advice regarding multilingualization measures that can be
implemented immediately through the presentation of leading-edge case examples
such as efforts to provide menus written in foreign languages and efforts to provide
restaurant information in foreign languages. In addition, in order to convey the uniqueappeal of rural areas, information about “regional cuisine” (local specialty dishes, etc.)
and the regional appeal will be conveyed in multiple languages.
4. With regard to promoting the multilingualization of roads and public transportation
facilities, after checking how far the policy measures concerning “Guidelines forImprovement and Enhancement of Multilingualization toward the Realization of Japanas a Tourism-orientated Country” formulated by the Japan Tourism Agency in Marchlast year, has been implemented, the Japanese Government will prepare measures by
the end of FY2015 to ensure that facilities that have not complied with the guideline
do so by FY2017.
5. With regard to multilingual speech translation by mobile telephones and othercommunication devices, through R&D and social experimentation over the next fiveyears, not only will the four most widely used language services (Japanese, English,Chinese, and Korean) be expanded by 2020 to ten services—planned to add Spanish,French, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and the Myanmar language—but also in
addition to travel conversation, speech translation will be realized for conversation ona practical level in areas such as procedures in everyday living and healthcare with theaim of widely disseminating multilingual speech translation systems.

3Promise 2Foreign visitors to Japan will be able to use free public wireless LAN simply
and easily at various locations around cities without a contract with a Japanese
telecommunications carrier.
(a) Japan’s broadband environment is of a world-class standard, and high-speed andconvenient use of the Internet is possible by connecting to free public wireless LAN.
However, in many cases telecommunications carriers in Japan charge for use ofpublic wireless LAN services, and it is pointed out that the situation is inconvenient
for foreign visitors, who do not have contracts with Japanese telecommunications
carriers.
(b) Thus, through the Council for Preparing of Free Public Wireless LAN, thegovernment will urge telecommunications carriers and owners of facilities such as
railway stations, airports, commercial facilities, and accommodation facilities, inorder to meet the needs of foreign visitors to Japan who wish use free public
wireless LAN (free Wi-Fi) services easily.
Specifically, the government will formulate free public wireless LAN
preparation policies while considering the locations where high rate of Wi-Fi use
is expected along with the flow paths of foreign visitors. Then, the government will
work with telecommunications carriers and owners of Wi-Fi service areas tofacilitate the provision of free Wi-Fi services in accordance with the policies.

(c) To make it easy for foreign visitors to locate places where free public wireless LAN
services are available, easy-to-identify standardized “Japan Free Wi-Fi” symbols
will be displayed at locations where free Wi-Fi can be used. Moreover, thegovernment will disseminate information about locations where free public
wireless LAN can be used through the construction of websites and efforts by
public-private sector coordination.
(d) Through the Japan Franchise Association, which is a member of the Council for
Preparing of Free Public Wireless LAN, and such, the government will promotemaking free public wireless LAN available in cafes, fast food restaurants andcommercial establishments where the high needs of businesspeople are expected.

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(e) Foreign visitors to Japan are sometimes required to go through log-on procedures
to use free public wireless LAN, and the government aims to create an environmentthat enables foreign visitors use free LAN on-the-spot by processing procedures
after entering a commercial establishment in Japan, without having to register inadvance.
(f) When foreign visitors attempt to use free public wireless LAN for different area
owners, currently users are sometimes required to input their e-mail address again
when they begin using a different service. For their convenience, the government
will simplify log-on procedures through coordination amongst providers anddemonstration experiments so that users are not required to input their e-mailaddress or perform other procedures once they have initially logged onto the initialservice. At the same time, the government will consider adding a function thatenables foreign visitors to complete registration procedures in advance, in theirhome country (prior to their visit) for the convenience of foreign visitors. And,
information about the simplified log-on procedures will be posted on the Internet
and otherwise diffused overseas.

Promise 3
To make locating to Japan as a business base or R&D base easier for overseas
companies, the government will create an environment in which all regional
airports receive business jets with a short advance notice.
1. Within the next three years, the government will make regional airports capable ofreceiving business jets from overseas, even if they double in number.
(a) The government will increase immigration booths and additional staff of regional
airports in FY2015 in order to make immigration procedures smoother and swifter.
(b) With regard to CIQ (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine) for receiving business jets,
if the airport’s CIQ office is notified of the plane’s flight path in advance (3 days
prior to the flight for airports where the CIQ officers are constantly on duty, andtwo weeks prior to the flight for all other airports), staff can be allocated, enabling
the airport to receive a business jet. Furthermore, the government will consider
cutting the time between the flight date and the advance-notice deadline from twoweeks to one week, analyzing the situation at each airport and readiness of CIQ
officers, and make a decision by the end of FY2015.
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[Reference] Measures taken recently for receiving business jets at Narita Airport andHaneda Airport<Narita Airport>○ Provision of new access roads within the airport site (September 2014)
Travel time by car between the business jet terminal and business jet parking aprons
has been reduced from approx. 16 minutes to approx. 8 minutes.
○Increase in the number of aprons where large business jets can be parked(June 2014)
2 Parking aprons for large business jets will be added, making a total of 3 aprons<Haneda Airport>○ Provision of special flow lines for business jet passengers(September 2014)
By using a special flow line equipped with special CIQ facilities, etc., the time tocomplete arrival procedures have been reduced to around just 3 minutes, comparedto the approx. 10 to 30 minutes for general passenger lines.
○ Operation of business jet priority aprons (September 2014)
An apron in front of the International Terminal has been made a priority space forbusiness jets
○ The number of aprons where large business jets can be parked will be increased(March 2015)
6 Parking aprons for large business jets will be added, making a total of 9 aprons
2. To make immigration procedures for foreign visitors to proceed smoothly, thegovernment is to increase the number of arrival officers by 202 and of immigration
booths as well in FY2015, and will prepare immigration system as planned. Thesemeasures are aimed to reduce waiting times for immigration procedures to 20 minutes
or less at the longest during FY2016. Furthermore, the government will put efforts tospeed-up the immigration inspection system, including examining early theintroduction of face recognition technology for immigration procedures for Japanesecitizens.

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Promise 4
The government will enrich educational environment for children fromoverseas, and ensures that people receiving an education in Japan are able tocommunicate smoothly in English.
1. Japanese Government agencies will work as one to fix the current situation whereby
international students who chose Japan as their study destination have difficultyfinding jobs at Japanese companies.
Accordingly, during FY2015, approaches will be made to the government will
work with universities and economic organizations to urge companies to provide
information required by international students (record of employing international
students, etc.), and to urge universities to provide information required by companies(international students’ home countries, majors, etc.), through the channel companies
and universities contact each other directly. Furthermore, the government will expand
its system to match international students and domestic companies.
In addition to promoting the activities of the International Students Support
Network, related government agencies will work together to newly hold seminars andmatching events for international students and companies, etc., by this summer, withapproaches made for the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Employment
Service for Foreigners and international student corners at New Graduate Support
Hello Work (Hello Work offices providing support for new graduates) to compile
information on international students seeking employment and recruitment
information for companies that are actively seeking to employ foreign nationals.
2. When an international school desires accreditation as a Miscellaneous School (which
receives various benefits, such as exemption from consumption tax on tuition fees andpermission to issue student commuter passes), there are some regions where thisrequest is denied because of regulations set by prefectures, such as the requirementthat the term of the lease on the land and/or the school buildings is 20 years or longer.
Consequently, prefectures will be encouraged to loosen their criteria for accrediting
international schools as Miscellaneous Schools to be on par with prefectures that are
taking the lead in loosening such criteria.
3. The government aims to assign at least one Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) to
100% of elementary schools by FY2019, ahead of FY2020, when the new curriculum
guidelines for the next term is expected to be implemented. To this end, in addition toefforts to enhance the JET program, the central government will encourage local
governments to utilize ALTs.
7Promise 5
The government will set up a system to make it easy for the foreign businesses
which have invested much amount in Japan to consult the government. TheJapanese Government and all local governments will work together as one tocreate a network for attracting investment to Japan
1. For businesses having made important investments in Japan from overseas, an“Investment Advisor Assignment System” will be established with State Ministers etc.
acting as advisors.
(1) The system is planned to be applied for companies meeting the following conditions.
(a) The company has made direct investment of 20 billion yen or more in Japan and has
500 or more regular employees in Japan.
(b) The company is in important areas listed in the Strategic Market Creation Plan under
the Japan Revitalization Strategy and that are carrying out healthy business activities.
(c) The company is expected to contribute to the invigoration of the Japanese economy
through the introduction of new business models into Japan, R&D activities
regarding cutting-edge technologies and/or other ways.
(2) Eligible companies will be designated based on applications submitted by companies
which meets all the conditions above. In making designations, the opinions of theJapanese diplomatic establishments in the home country of the foreign company will betaken into consideration.
(3) The State Minister assigned to each designated company (“the Assigned StateMinister” hereinafter) will be the State Minister for the ministry under whose
jurisdiction the company’s main activities fall. (In case that a ministry is responsible fora large number of companies, it will also be possible for the Parliamentary ViceMinister of the ministry to be assigned to companies.)(4) Meetings between the Assigned State Minister and a foreign company to which they
have been assigned will also be attended by State Minister for Foreign Affairs,administrative officers of the Assigned State Minister’s ministry and the Ministry ofForeign Affairs as well as staff of the investment promotion agency (Japan External
Trade Organization, the same shall apply hereinafter) to support consultations.
(5) In the case that there is a change in State Ministers, the incoming State Minister willtake over all duties from the outgoing State Minister.

8Note: Fields prescribed in the Strategic Market Creation Plan under the Japan
Revitalization Strategy are as follows.
(a) Important fields for extending nation’s healthy life expectancy: healthpromotion/preventative care/ lifestyle support services, pharmaceuticals/medicaldevices, elderly housing, etc.
(b) Important fields for realizing clean/economical energy supply and demand:renewable energy, highly efficient thermal power generation, storage batteries, nextgeneration devices/parts and materials, energy management systems, next-generation
automobiles, fuel cells, energy-saving appliances, products/services related to energysaving technologies for energy-saving housing/buildings, etc.
(c) Important fields for construction of safe, convenient, and economical next-generation
infrastructure: infrastructure management, driving safety support systems, developmentof space infrastructure(d) Important fields for realizing regional societies that earn income from local resourcesthat attract the world: agricultural/forestry/fishery products/foods, senary industry,
contents/culture, etc.
2. With regard to the place for collaboration (network) between the Japanese national
government and local governments, mechanisms for collaboration will be constructed toensure that information about the national government’s efforts to promote direct
investment in Japan is thoroughly conveyed to all local governments and not only somehighly motivated local governments, as well as to enable the national government to hearand investigate the demands of local governments. Specifically, not only will thePresident of the National Governors’ Association of Japan and the President of the Japan
Association of City Mayors be newly appointed as advisors for the Council for Promotionof Foreign Direct Investment, but also mechanisms for conveying information related tothe promotion of direct investment in Japan to all local governments within the “Projectfor Creating a Regional Economy-Global Cycle” will be enhanced. The national
government will use the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ “Unified
Survey System” to grasp the demands of local governments.
3. The investment promotion agency will form a team specializing in investment
promotion, and it will not only provide assistance for “Investment Advisor Assignment
System” consultations, but also find and support companies interested in investing inJapan, and create and enhance systems and functions for carrying out duties related tothe matching of foreign companies and Japanese companies. At the same time, the9government will enable the investment promotion agency to share information andlocal governments’ demands in the “Project for Creating a Regional Economy-GlobalCycle” etc., thus accelerating the investment promotion agency’s activities to promoteinward direct investment in cooperation with local governments. Also, publicityactivities will be carried out to publicize efforts to promote direct foreign investment
in Japan, including the decisions of the Council for Promotion of Foreign Direct
Investment.
4. The government makes it easy for foreign companies to establish subsidiaries in Japan.
The representative’s residence in Japan used to be required in setting up a new company,
even if he/she was a foreigner. The ban was lifted on March 16, and foreign businesses
now can set up subsidiaries without having representatives living in Japan.

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