Doing Business in Japan Certification

The Doing Business in Japan Certification is a free beginner-level, 15-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests doing business in Japan — market structure and keiretsu, company types such as the kabushiki kaisha (KK) and godo kaisha (GK), JETRO support, consensus decision-making through nemawashi and ringi, hierarchy and keigo, business card (meishi) etiquette, gift-giving, punctuality and meeting culture, long-term relationships and trust, quality expectations and monozukuri, kaizen and lean thinking, employment practices and labour reform, consumption tax, the Japanese consumer, localisation and language, and an ageing society — written to JETRO and OECD guidance for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 15 questions to earn a verifiable Doing Business in Japan certificate (SOA-DBJ). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Invest Japan: setting up business in Japan (Japan External Trade Organization), Health at a Glance (OECD) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Doing Business in Japan Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests market and setup, culture and communication and decisions, work and relationships with 15 original scenario questions in all, each naming its published source; you get an instant score and a verifiable certificate with a credential ID you can add to LinkedIn.

Read the three skill areas on this page, then take the 15-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Doing Business in Japan certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Invest Japan: setting up business in Japan (Japan External Trade Organization); Health at a Glance (OECD). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Three skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Market and Setup (Market structure, Company setup and Support for investors); Culture and Communication (Etiquette and meishi, Hierarchy and language and Meetings and gifts); Decisions, Work and Relationships (Consensus decisions, Management practices and Long-term partnerships). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Executive or manager entering the Japanese market, Expatriate working in Japan, Sales or partnership manager with Japanese clients, International business or Japanese studies student and Founder seeking Japanese investment. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Doing Business in Japan knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

Students at national flagships and diaspora students at tier-1s abroad search for 'doing business in X' and local-market skills in their own language. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

Informal groundwork before a formal decision — talking with stakeholders one by one to build consensus — so that by the time a proposal reaches a meeting, agreement is largely in place.

Present and receive meishi with both hands, facing the recipient, take a moment to read the card, and place it respectfully on the table during the meeting rather than pocketing it immediately.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

15 questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — with a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Beginner: no experience needed: fundamentals and clear reasoning. It has 15 scenario questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — and a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.