Company identity
Japanese Corporate Number Lookup
The Corporate Number is one of the most useful identifiers for matching Japanese companies across official data, public enforcement records, and internal counterparty files.
Key takeaways
- A Corporate Number is a 13-digit identifier for Japanese legal entities.
- It helps distinguish companies with similar or translated names.
- It should be paired with registered name and address context.
- It is an identity anchor, not a risk rating.
Practical workflow
- 1Ask the counterparty for its Corporate Number when onboarding or reviewing a Japanese entity.
- 2Search the number in RegBase or the official Corporate Number Publication Site.
- 3Compare the registered name and address context with the counterparty documents.
- 4Use the number to reduce false matches in public enforcement and risk searches.
- 5Keep the Corporate Number in your internal vendor, customer, or target record.
Why overseas teams should ask for the Corporate Number
English company names are not always official in Japan. The same company may appear with multiple romanizations, abbreviations, or group names. A Corporate Number gives teams a cleaner way to anchor the entity.
It is especially useful when screening suppliers, distributors, customers, investment targets, and regulated counterparties that have similar names or operate under brand names.
How to use the number in a due diligence workflow
Use the Corporate Number at the start of the workflow, before searching for risk records. Once identity is anchored, the public-record review becomes more reliable.
In RegBase, a company profile may combine Corporate Number context with enforcement history, public-risk records, source links, and an evidence report that can be saved for internal files.
- Confirm identity before interpreting risk records.
- Use the number when names are similar or translated.
- Record source URLs and lookup date.
- Escalate mismatches before relying on results.
Common mistakes
The main mistake is treating a Corporate Number match as a complete due diligence result. It only identifies the entity. It does not say whether the entity is financially healthy, sanctioned, compliant, or free of undisclosed problems.
Important limitation
RegBase supports public-source screening and evidence collection. It is not a credit report, sanctions result, legal opinion, or final due-diligence conclusion.