Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website. I am Taro Nakatsuru, an English-speaking Gyoseishoshi, having my office in Nisshin-city, close to Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. My expertise includes intellectual property (trademark, geographical indications, licensing, etc.), immigration services (status of residence-related applications), and obtaining and maintenance of various business licenses and permits. Being a bilingual document preparation specialist, I am here to support you when you experience a language barrier in Japan.

After graduating from Nanzan University in Nagoya city, Aichi, Japan, I worked for a major national department store chain for two years. Then I attended the Intensive English Institute at the University of Maine in the US to study English, aspiring to be a translator, for about a year and a half. After returning to Japan, I worked at a private English school as an English teacher for one year, then joined an IP firm and worked there for 23 years as a trademark staff until January 2017. I then became a Gyoseishoshi and launched my firm in 2018 in Nisshin city, Aichi.

When I worked for the IP firm, I had many opportunities to communicate with lawyers worldwide to solve clients’ trademark problems. The accumulation of such experiences made me feel like I wanted to do this. I wanted to help people remove language and cultural barriers to their goals. That is why I quit the job and started my firm.

My services include: Preparation and filing of applications for recordal of transfer of ownership of trademark right, trademark license, or other changes; copyright registration; status of residence-related applications for foreign nationals living in Japan; and consultation and translation services related to the services above.

My qualifications include: Certified administrative procedures legal specialist (gyosei-shoshi); 1st grade certified specialist of intellectual property management (brand); copyright proficiency for practical businesses (advanced level); national government licensed guide-interpreter (English); passed examination to qualify the essential knowledge and skills for database searching (2nd grade); EIKEN Grade 1; and TOEIC score 955.

What does a “Gyoseishoshi” do?

A Gyoseishoshi, a certified administrative procedures legal specialist,  is a national license in Japan. It is also translated as administrative (corresponding to “gyosei”) scrivener (corresponding to “shoshi”), as you can find the term on the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.

A Gyoseishoshi can do the following:

  • prepare and submit applications for permission before public offices acting as an agent;
  • prepare documentation relating to rights, duties, or the certification of facts such as wills and contracts;
  • file an administrative appeal (special permission required); and
  • provide consultations relating to the matters mentioned above.

A Gyoseishoshi can handle a wide range of documentation, except for those that are stipulated by law to be prepared exclusively by other specialists, such as an attorney at law (Bengoshi), patent attorney (Benrishi), and judicial scrivener (Shihoshoshi).