Immigration

Licensing Procedures for Restaurants in Japan Explained:

Confirmation of restrictions of the Building Standards Act:

Before starting a restaurant in Japan, it is important to understand that the City Planning Act and Building Standards Act impose restrictions on the type of buildings that can be constructed in each zoning district. These restrictions include factors such as the purpose of the building and the floor-area ratio. Interior construction work for new buildings must also comply with the building standards set for restaurants. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of these restrictions imposed by the Building Standards Act when managing a restaurant.

Conditions for obtaining a business license:

To open a restaurant or coffee shop in Japan, you must obtain a business license in advance from the public health center with jurisdiction over the location of the facility, in accordance with the Food Sanitation Act. There are specific conditions that must be met to obtain a business license for a restaurant, including:

Having at least one food hygiene supervisor.
Establishing a facility that meets the specified standards.

If these two conditions are met, you can obtain a business license for your restaurant. If you have a national certification related to food preparation, such as being a certified chef or nutritionist, you do not need to obtain any additional certification as a food hygiene supervisor. However, if you don’t have these qualifications, you will need to take a food hygiene manager certificate course. It is also important to note that there are detailed requirements for facility standards, so it is necessary to prepare drawings during the planning stage and consult with the public health center in advance.

Submission of business license application documents:

The application documents for the business license should be submitted approximately 10 days before the facility is completed. The public health center will then conduct an on-site inspection, and if there are no issues found, a business license can be granted.

In certain cases, additional notifications are required:

If your restaurant serves alcoholic beverages during late-night hours, you must submit a notification to the police station in the jurisdiction regarding the provision of alcoholic beverages during those hours.
Facilities above a certain size may need to submit a notification of the appointment of a fire prevention manager to the fire department.