The average Japanese company stores (and pays for) about five times the number of documents that the average U.S. or South Korean company does. However, that is set to change in favor of digitally stored company records.

Consumption tax legislation will kick in in 2015 adding an extra 10% (up from zero) on digital contents/services that are purchased by consumers (versus businesses) from suppliers abroad.

With Toronto-based Kobo, Rakuten would be able to "do an Amazon" and bypass Japan's consumption tax laws by selling Japanese-language ebooks from abroad.

Now that the rise in Consumption Tax is all but assured, we think there are some very interesting changes in store for how the Japanese Government and Japanese companies think about making money.

As much as we don't like DPJ politician Ichiro Ozawa and his money-tainted politics, we have to agree with him on one thing, that raising the consumption tax in Japan could be harmful.

Already Amazon.com, iherb.com, and other foreign exporters are enjoying consumption tax-free exports to Japan, so it is only natural for Japanese firms to want to do the same.

Once again we are reminded that like in many other countries any talk of higher taxes is a sure way to get voted down and out.

Last week the Ministry of Finance (MoF) released data which shows that the global recession is having a marked impact on the taxes that Japanese companies pay to the government...

What will Japan's role be as the world clamps down on tax havens?