Build it to land in Japan.
Most foreign tech and AI products that win in their first market stall in Japan. Founders blame the visa, the language, the long sales cycle. Those are real, and we cover them. But there is a deeper reason your product stalls that no consultant will tell you, because they have never built one. We have. GDZ Japan is the structured way in: a validated, sequenced product market entry plan built on your own product, with an operator who has spent 9 years building in the market.
Japan just raised the bar. Here is the new way in.
One founder I helped enter Japan could not do it the same way today. What changed, and how to enter now.
2 minutes · no email needed to see your result
Japan just made entry a premium game. On purpose.
In October 2025 the Business Manager Visa requirement jumped six-fold, from ¥5M to ¥30M in capital, plus a local hire, a language bar, and a vetted business plan. Existing holders have until October 2028 to comply. The casual entrants are being filtered out by design.
That is bad news if you plan to wing it. It is good news if you are serious. Japan now rewards founders who arrive with capital, commitment, and a plan, and punishes the ones who do not. Most founders still burn $15k to $50k on consultants, or stall before a single customer, because they sequence the entry wrong. The decisions that make entry work are cheap to get right now and brutal to retrofit after you have spent.
The capital bar, overnight
¥5M to ¥30M, since October 2025.
The deadline
Existing holders must comply by October.
What founders burn
On consultants, or stalling before customer one.
Three walls stop you, and it is never the one you expect.
It is not language and it is not "Japan is conservative." It is something in the product itself. Foreign products that win elsewhere hit three walls Japanese users feel immediately.
The expectation gap
Japanese users expect things foreign products do not provide. "Clean and minimal" can read as "empty and untrustworthy." Information density and proof signal credibility.
The quality bar
What passes as "good enough to ship" elsewhere reads as broken here. Tolerance for rough edges is far lower, and the small details carry the trust.
The trust threshold
Buyers need more proof before they commit, and trust moves through relationships and trusted channels, not cold. Products that do not build it in stall at adoption.
One path, two stages open.
Start with the paid webinar series, the cheapest serious commitment. The founders who are ready move up to the program. The in-market immersion sits parked until the cohorts prove the model.
Webinar series
Six product-focused sessions on building for Japan. The wide top of the funnel and the qualifier: only founders serious enough to pay show up.
See the webinars →GDZ Japan
Six weeks, three acts. You build your own validated, sequenced Japan market-entry plan. This is where the transformation and the revenue live.
See the program →Tokyo immersion
The in-market week, built once the online cohorts prove demand. Not in scope yet.
The operator in the room.
Not a faceless program. You build your plan with an operator who has spent 9 years in Tokyo across product, sales and tech, plus a live founder network 13,000+ strong across the corridor.
A founder Matt worked with entered Japan, and kept going.
Matt is truly intelligent, well-traveled, and highly experienced in both Japan and Australia. With his business background, cultural understanding, and tech-savviness, he mentored me to establish my business in Japan and expand to Australia in less than a year.
The founding cohort is forming now, so these are founders Matt has worked with directly on entering Japan and building across the corridor: the same operator who runs the program.
I came to Matt as a founder with ideas but not yet the confidence to articulate them clearly. The feedback I received on my pitch was specific, honest, and immediately actionable. I left with a sharper message and a clearer sense of what I'm actually building.
Operators, not consultants.
Built on 9 years on the ground in Japan, with real ties at Venture Café Tokyo, Business in Japan, and CIC Tokyo. Because we hold no equity and are not the visa agent or investor, the guidance is built around what is right for you.
On the ground in Japan
Nine years building in Tokyo, fluent in the business culture, not just visiting it.
Go-to-market from zero
Built sales and GTM functions from scratch, the part of entry most founders get wrong.
Equity taken
No equity, ever. Not the visa agent, lawyer, or investor. Independent by design.
The honest answers.
What is GDZ Japan?
A product market entry program for tech and AI product companies entering Japan. Over six weeks you build a validated, sequenced entry plan on your own product, guided by an operator who has spent 9 years building in the market. Operators, not consultants, and no equity, ever.
Who is it for?
Tech and AI product companies with proven product-market fit in their initial market, typically Series A or beyond, though a bootstrapped company with real revenue can qualify. It is also useful for teams already in Japan who need to sequence their product entry properly.
Why does a product that wins at home stall in Japan?
Founders blame the visa, language, and sales cycle, and those are real. But the deeper reason is the product itself meets three walls in Japan: the expectation gap, the quality bar, and the trust threshold. The program is built to get you past all three.
What changed with the Business Manager Visa in October 2025?
The capital requirement rose six-fold, from ¥5M to ¥30M, and shifted from capital or employees to capital and a local hire, plus a language bar and a vetted business plan. Existing holders have until October 2028 to comply. Entry is now a serious-commitment game, which is exactly why a validated plan matters before you spend.
Do you take equity?
No equity, ever. We are not the visa agent, lawyer, or investor, so the guidance is built around what is right for you first.
How do I know if I am ready?
Take the two-minute readiness assessment. It scores your product against the three walls plus your commitment, and tells you honestly whether to start with the $99 webinars or the program. No email required to see your result.
Two ways in.
Test the thinking with a single session, or build the whole plan. Most program founders come through the webinars first.