_Date: 13 August 2026_
_Status: Active — first operational getting-started guide for the network. Companion to `site-profile-japan.md` and the Atlantis Pads network overview._

# Getting Started: Okinawa, Japan

This is the operational entry guide for the Okinawa Atlantis Pad — what needs to happen, in what order, and who to contact. It does not replace `sites/site-profile-japan.md` (the research and revenue-model backing); it sequences that research into an actionable path.

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## The Critical Path

**The single gating relationship for this site is the Onna Village Fisheries Cooperative (OVFC).**

Fishing cooperatives in Japan hold priority aquaculture rights ahead of any foreign-owned company. A KK (Japanese stock company) cannot simply apply for an aquaculture license independently and expect to win it against a cooperative or cooperative-majority applicant. The only credible path into mozuku aquaculture here is a joint venture or partnership relationship with OVFC, established before any license application is filed.

**This means the actual critical path is social and commercial, not legal or financial.** Every other item below (KK formation, land purchase, license application) can proceed in parallel or afterward, but none of them substitute for the cooperative relationship, and none of them will produce a viable aquaculture operation without it. If that relationship doesn't form, the site's core revenue thesis (mozuku aquaculture) doesn't exist, and the site reduces to a marine-tourism-only proposition, a materially different and weaker business.

**First move, in practice: an introduction to OVFC, ideally through OIST or a mutual local connection, before any capital is deployed.**

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## What's Actually Needed

### 1. Legal Entity Formation
- Form a Japanese KK (Kabushiki-Kaisha) — standard stock company, foreign shareholders fully permitted
- Minimum capital ¥1, but ¥3M-¥10M is typical for credibility with cooperatives, regulators, and grant bodies
- Setup timeline: 4-6 weeks with a Japanese legal firm
- **Free resources to start:** JETRO provides free FDI consultation; Okinawa Investment Support Center provides English-language one-stop setup support. Start here before hiring outside counsel.

### 2. Site and Legal Due Diligence
- **DOA (Designated Observed Area) status verification is non-negotiable before any land conversation.** The 2021 Land Use Security Act creates a national security overlay near military bases. Onna/Motobu is the lowest-risk corridor on the main island, but pre-purchase attorney verification is required. Avoid within 5km of Camp Schwab, Kadena, Futenma, Uruma/White Beach, and the Yokatsu Peninsula entirely.
- Confirm land-use classification — agricultural-classified land requires agricultural committee approval to convert. Target land already classified construction or commercial where possible.
- **Target zone decision:** Nakijin Village rural land (¥10,500-11,400/m², cheapest entry, benefiting from the JUNGLIA effect not yet fully priced in) vs. Onna Village itself (¥30,000-150,000/m², appreciating ~29%/year, but co-located with OIST and the cooperative). This tradeoff (cost vs. proximity to the two anchor relationships) is a real decision point, not yet resolved.

### 3. The Cooperative Relationship (see Critical Path above)
- Engage OVFC directly, ideally with an introduction through OIST or another local connection rather than cold outreach
- Framing matters: position the Atlantis Pad as a UMIGYO joint initiative (a national government policy priority), not as outside competition for cooperative resources
- This relationship needs to be substantively underway before applying for any aquaculture license, since cooperative endorsement is effectively a prerequisite in the application process

### 4. Aquaculture License
- Process: Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Division → cooperative endorsement → business plan submission → governor review → license issuance
- Timeline: 8-18 months from initial engagement
- The UMIGYO pathway (Japan Fisheries Agency's marine tourism-aquaculture fusion program) has a dedicated Concierge desk for direct grant consultation — use it; the program exists specifically for this business model

### 5. Institutional Partnership (parallel track, not gating)
- OIST Marine Science Station is physically in Onna Village and actively seeking community/field partnerships via its Sea neXus hub — this conversation can start immediately and doesn't depend on the cooperative relationship or KK formation
- Churaumi Aquarium / Churashima Foundation MOU (field-extension partnership, cross-promotion, research data sharing) — lower urgency, high narrative value, worth pursuing once the core relationships are underway

### 6. Container Home / Infrastructure Compliance
- Building Standards Act (BSA) compliance required — Japan's seismic standards are strict, Okinawa adds typhoon requirements
- Budget ¥10M-25M ($65K-165K) per unit for coastal, typhoon-zone, BSA-compliant construction
- Investigate movable/equipment classification (structures on wheels or skids) as a way to potentially avoid full BSA permitting — get a Japanese legal and architectural opinion on this before purchase, since it changes the cost and timeline materially if viable
- Specialist: Container Japan (cjp.work) builds BSA-compliant container homes with the right materials and engineering
- **RVs as flexible, non-permanent additional housing, as needed:** rather than scaling the permanent container-home count past the current baseline to cover a larger on-site team or week-long tourist/researcher stays, use rented RV/camper units as needed for temporary capacity. Real rental fleets already exist in Okinawa (OkinawaRV, Japan CRC, per `presentation/atlantis-pads-flexible-housing-options.md`), and a vehicle with valid registration (shaken) is classified as a motor vehicle under the Road Vehicle Act, not a building under the BSA, genuinely sidestepping BSA building-permit review, a real capex/timeline advantage over the movable/equipment classification question above. This does NOT, however, change the Ryokan Gyoho/Minpaku hotel-lodging licensing question: an RV housing a paying, unrelated guest with any regularity still triggers the same classification a permanent unit would, per the same brief's §6 findings. Treat this as a flexibility lever, not a licensing workaround.

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## Contact List, In Sequence

| # | Contact | Purpose | Cost to Engage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JETRO (jetro.go.jp) | Free FDI consultation, KK formation guidance | Free |
| 2 | Okinawa Investment Support Center | English-language KK setup support | Free |
| 3 | Onna Village Fisheries Cooperative (OVFC) | **The critical-path relationship** — aquaculture access, joint venture structure | Relationship, not fee-based |
| 4 | OIST Marine Science Station / Sea neXus hub | Institutional field partnership, potential introduction path to OVFC | Free to initiate |
| 5 | Japan Fisheries Agency — UMIGYO Concierge | Grant consultation for the tourism-aquaculture fusion model | Free |
| 6 | Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Division | Formal aquaculture license application, once cooperative + business plan ready | Application fees only |
| 7 | Churashima Foundation / Churaumi Aquarium | MOU for field-extension partnership | Free to initiate |
| 8 | Container Japan (cjp.work) | BSA-compliant container home construction | Commercial quote |
| 9 | Japanese legal firm (KK formation + DOA verification) | Legal entity setup, land-use attorney review | Commercial fee, ~4-6 weeks |

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## Open Decisions Not Yet Resolved

- **Nakijin vs. Onna Village land selection** — cost vs. proximity tradeoff, needs a decision before land search begins in earnest
- **Movable/equipment classification for container homes** — needs a formal Japanese legal/architectural opinion before it can be relied on as a cost-reduction strategy
- **Sequencing of KK formation vs. first cooperative outreach** — can likely run in parallel, but which one to start first depends on whether a personal/OIST introduction to OVFC is available now or needs to be cultivated

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## Related Documents

- [Site Profile: Okinawa, Japan](../sites/site-profile-japan.md) — full research backing, grant stack, ecological features, risk register
- [Atlantis Pads Network Overview](../network-overview.md) — role in the network (Okinawa/Azores/Norway/Kefalonia/South Africa/Tasmania), sequencing rationale (Phase 1)
- [Atlantis Pads Deck v6 Script](../presentation/atlantis-pads-deck-v6-script.md) — narrative/financial treatment of this site in Acts 3/4