Resumen de Corporations with Social Aims in the Japanese Legal System
In Japan, there is no specific legislation for “benefit corporations” or “social enterprises,” and the concepts of those entities are not necessarily widely known. This does not mean that Japanese industry and society do not accept the idea of businesses with social aims. On the contrary, Japanese for-profit corporations have a tradition of conducting business with social aims, and there are various nonprofit corporation schemes that can be used when one incorporates businesses with social aims. In the author’s view, existing entities are succeeding in their efforts to engage in social business at least to a certain extent, and the necessity of the new structure has not been necessarily recognized. At the same time, existing entities are not perfectly suited for engaging in businesses with social aims. Speaking of share corporations, it is difficult for customers or investors to distinguish share corporations which surely pursue their social aims from others. Continued observation is needed on whether these businesses will grow by utilizing existing entities or new specific legal infrastructures will be introduced in the future.
