Escorting photo groups around Japan

I would like to start escorting photo tour groups in and around Kansai area, but not sure of the legalities of it all. I have done plenty of googling but cannot find much info on it. My wife is Japanese so I would be eligible for a spouse VISA (married over 10 years) and currently live in Australia.

My Plan
Register a business in Australia (ABN). Conduct photo tours and photography workshops around Kansai region for foreigners (targeting photographers obviously) with "Meet & Great" at Intl Airport (KIX) and looking after them for approx 7 to 10 days with an all inclusive tour. Payment from guest would be made in $AU in Australia with no plan of having an office or branch in Japan. All hotel, transport, meals, etc... will pre-booked from Australia.

Q: Can I just do this, do I need approval from some sort of Japanese authority, do I need to set up a company in Japan, licencing, etc???

Any advice would be greatly appreciated ... Rob Brown ;-)

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/travel/guide/guideservice.html

As far as I know, licensed "guide interpreters" are the only ones who can "guide" people in Japan and get paid for it.

Lately there have been different opinions concerning this; what to do with guides who accompany the visitors from home country and only guide them around in their own language? I guess your business falls into a similar category too, with an additional expertise on photography...

You will be covered by the guide-interpreter law (I suggest you read it carefully). If you receive income for providing guide service (without translation), you will need a license. The fine is Y500,000, but there are no reports of this being imposed - it gets a bit weird. Also, you can travel on a tourist visa, even if you are doing some business.

As an Australian registered business you only need to meet the business licencing requirements in Aus (which are not to terrible - the Corporations Act has some plain language sections and the ASIC website - and a few others - are pretty helpful). Not sure if you need travel agent license or not - I'm sure you'll check that.

if you are:
you don't change your residence (you live in Australia during this business).
you visit Japan every time when you escort Australian groups from Australia.
you collect money in Australia from Australian people for the purpose of guiding Japan tours.

then, you are a visitor to Japan. you don't need any kinds of licences of Japan.

however, if you stay more than 6 months in a year, the government maybe recognizes you as a resident. you may need to pay income tax in Japan. (even if you collect money in AUD, you need money to live in Japan as a resident. what you are doing could be 租税回避,Tax avoidance, from the standing point of Japan.)
if you are recognized as a resident of Japan, now you are doing business in Japan. you may have to follow the Japanese laws, as other posters said.

if you stay more than 6 months in a year, while your wife, a Japanese, lives in Australia, your wife is a resident of Australia and you are a resident of Japan. you are not living together. you may lose your spouse residential status. (spouse visa is given to you for living together with your Japanese wife in Japan. immigration officers can check your and your wife's entrances easily.)

Thank you all for the information.

I have found so much conflicting information about trying to do this. I think I'll try and get some legal advice from a Japanese / English adviser... I'd hate to be tapped on the shoulder in Japan and sent home with a fine.

The tax issue (more than 183 days) is one you need to watch. Both Japan and Australia will treat all of your worldwide income as taxable, so you pay tax on the same income twice.

Even travelling to Japan on business, you enter on a tourist visa (it is the one that applies).

Technically, if you receive income as an employee of the tour business (outside of Japan), you need a Japan guide license (even if you are from Australia). That's the hard one to work with, but it is possible to comply with.

I imagine that things could go horribly wrong for you as an unlicensed tour guide if any of your tour participants are injured, fall ill or find themselves in situations which require the involvement of the police.

That I doubt very much. In the event of accident or the involvement of the police it is all very straight forward. As long as you comply with all applicable regulations/laws, why would there be an issue? (and as we do comply, there isn't a problem).

People as independent tourists get into trouble and have issues too (like the guy I know that "borrowed" a bicycle). The negative comment illustrates a lack of understanding.