Japan Film Commission Guide for International Productions
Know which national, regional and local authorities control filming permission in Japan, and how a fixer keeps your production moving through all of them.
Planning a shoot in Japan means dealing with more than one gatekeeper. The Japan Film Commission is the national network that connects producers with information and with the country's regional film commissions, but it does not issue permits itself, and neither do most of the bodies beneath it. Permission to film comes from the police, from each facility's own manager, or from a park office, depending on where you want to shoot. Knowing which body does what, and how to sequence contact with them, is what a local fixer manages on your behalf.
As Fixers in Japan, we bring local expertise to international productions filming in Japan. Our team's deep knowledge of local regulations, crew networks, and production infrastructure ensures your project runs smoothly from pre-production through delivery.
ACT 01
Japan Film Commission: What the National Network Handles
The Japan Film Commission (JFC) is the country's national network body for film commissions. It is a non-profit organization, not a government agency and not a regulatory body: it does not issue filming permits, and production licensing in Japan is not centralized under the JFC or any other single national authority. Its purpose is to strengthen the nationwide filming-support network, support production for Japanese and international projects, train film commission staff, and connect the national government, local governments, member film commissions, companies and industry bodies. As of July 2026 the JFC counted 126 member film commissions nationwide, per its own site. It is also a member of the Association of Film Commissioners International.
- Gives producers in Japan and abroad free information on locations and on the country's regional film commissions, as a one-stop service.
- Coordinates permits and approvals when public facilities are used, rather than issuing them itself.
- Trains film commission staff and works to develop Japan's filming environment, in cooperation with national and local government, film commissions, companies and industry bodies.
- Gives no financial assistance or sponsorship-style support to any production, to keep its relationship with production teams free of money changing hands.
ACT 02
Regional and City Film Commissions
Beneath the JFC sits a network of regional and city film commissions, and each one interprets its role differently. None of the five described here issues a filming permit outright; each coordinates, introduces or advises within its own remit, and the differences matter for how you plan a shoot.
Tokyo Location Box (Tokyo Film Commission)
Tokyo Location Box is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's contact point for film and TV production, working with public and private facilities, screen companies and local communities. It gives location information, coordinates with facility managers, and can support police and fire-service paperwork, though final filming permission at a facility is decided by that facility's own manager, and a road-use permit is issued by the police station with jurisdiction over the road. It also introduces the location-support offices in Tokyo's wards and administers the city's overseas-production grant.
Osaka Film Council
Osaka Film Council, Japan's first film commission, was founded in February 2000 by Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It introduces locations and negotiates filming permission on a production's behalf free of any intermediary fee, but the production company itself remains the formal permit applicant, and road-use applications still go directly to the police.
Kobe Film Office
Kobe Film Office, set up as the City of Kobe's film commission in September 2000, runs a one-stop service that simplifies filming applications and handles consultations on accommodation, meals and equipment rental. For shoots at city-managed facilities that promote Kobe to a broad audience, it can file the application and a fee-reduction request on the production's behalf, and it also runs a location-scouting grant for commercial films and dramas.
Sapporo Film Commission
Sapporo Film Commission gives producers location information, accompanies scouting trips, provides information on the permits a shoot needs, and acts as the Japan Film Commission's Hokkaido block leader for productions filming anywhere in the region. It refers permit questions to the relevant authority rather than issuing permits itself, and can put producers in touch with a mayor-certified Sapporo Film Coordinator.
Okinawa Film Office
Okinawa Film Office gives free information and consultation on locations, permits, accommodation, equipment and vehicles, and can accompany scouts and shoots. It does not file permit applications or make bookings for a production; for that it works alongside the private Location Coordinate Association Okinawa (FGO), and it advises against filming in Okinawa without an Okinawa-based location coordinator.
ACT 03
How to Get a Film Permit in Japan
Japan has no single nationwide filming permit and no single office that issues one. Permission to film comes from whoever controls the location: the police station with jurisdiction over a road, each facility's own manager for public and private buildings, or the relevant park office for parks. Film commissions, including the JFC and the regional offices above, coordinate this process; the decision itself belongs to the location's own authority.
Film Permit Application: Tokyo's Route
Tokyo Location Box lays out a four-step route. First, contact Tokyo Location Box through its filming consultation form, attaching the proposal, script and storyboards. Second, if a suitable location exists, Tokyo Location Box introduces the facility and coordinates with it, attending the recce when needed. Third, once the facility manager has agreed and the shoot is confirmed, submit a filming support application to Tokyo Location Box before starting the individual permit applications. Fourth, apply directly to each facility for filming permission, following Tokyo Location Box's advice, since the exact procedure and documents differ by facility. If the shoot uses a road next to the facility, or fire or smoke inside it, the production must also complete separate procedures with the police and fire service.
Tokyo Lead Times and Fees
Filming at a Tokyo Metropolitan Government-owned facility, under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government rule, takes at least two weeks to process, excluding weekends, so producers are told to consult early. A road-use permit for filming comes from the police station with jurisdiction over that road; Tokyo Location Box says it usually takes about one week from application to permission, though the Metropolitan Police Department's own page states no processing time. The road-use application review fee is ¥2,100, described as a review fee rather than a charge for using the road, and it is not refunded. Filming in a Tokyo Metropolitan park also needs an occupancy permit, and the fees and lead times for that route are set by the park authority rather than by Tokyo Location Box; Tokyo's metropolitan parks additionally ban drone flights outright, with no exception stated.
Permits Outside Tokyo
No official page sets a nationwide rule for locations outside Tokyo. Permission depends on the specific location and whoever manages it, and the relevant regional film commission can advise on the process as far as its own remit allows. In Osaka, road-use applications must reach the competent police station at least one week before the shoot. In Kobe, permission for a city-managed facility can take a week or more. In Okinawa, some locations require an application as much as a month ahead, and Okinawa Film Office asks for at least two weeks' notice to arrange its own support.
Drone Filming Permits
Drones fit into the same permit logic at a national level. Any unmanned aircraft weighing 100 grams or more must be registered under the Civil Aeronautics Act, and flights that need permission are applied for to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism through the DIPS 2.0 platform, at least ten business days before the planned flight. Flying is banned over key facilities and the surrounding area within about 1,000 meters, including the National Diet Building and the Imperial Palace.
ACT 04
Working with a Fixer: How Location Coordinators Interface with Commissions
No official film commission page uses the word fixer. The term Japan's authorities use is location coordinator, or, in Sapporo's case, Sapporo Film Coordinator, a role certified by the city's mayor. A location coordinator is the person who runs the sequence above for a production based outside Japan: contacting the right film commission for each location, preparing the proposal, script extract and site diagrams that Tokyo Location Box and others ask for, applying to each facility once a commission has coordinated access, and tracking each authority's own lead time so nothing arrives late. The regional commissions differ in how far they go without one: Osaka Film Council negotiates permission but leaves the production company as the formal applicant, Kobe Film Office can file an application only for shoots at City of Kobe-managed facilities or areas that promote Kobe's tourism or image to a broad audience, and Okinawa Film Office does not file applications at all, working instead with the private Location Coordinate Association Okinawa. Okinawa Film Office goes further and says that filming there without an Okinawa-based coordinator is not impossible, but is not recommended, because a coordinator living in Okinawa can make coordination with residents and officials such as city hall go more smoothly. A location coordinator's support is a paid service, separate from the free information and consultation that Okinawa Film Office and the other regional commissions provide themselves.
ACT 05
Common Questions
Do I need to contact the film commission directly or through a fixer?
No official page requires you to go through an intermediary. The Japan Film Commission offers free information directly to producers in Japan and abroad, Tokyo Location Box takes consultations directly through its filming form, and Okinawa Film Office will talk to you without one. Where the evidence differs is in what a commission will do for you once you are in contact: Osaka Film Council negotiates on your behalf while the production company remains the formal permit applicant, and Okinawa Film Office does not file applications at all. A local fixer, working as a location coordinator, exists to run that sequence for you day to day, which is a paid service separate from the commissions' own free information.
How long does permit approval typically take?
There is no single published figure for Japan, or even for Tokyo alone. A handful of narrow processing times are public: a Tokyo road-use permit from the police usually takes about one week, per Tokyo Location Box; a permit at a Tokyo Metropolitan Government-owned facility takes at least two weeks, excluding weekends; a Kobe city-managed facility can take a week or more; and Japan's national location-incentive subsidy takes about three to four weeks from the call deadline to a selection decision. Outside these specific cases, decision times are not published, and they vary by authority and location, so ask the relevant film commission or facility manager directly.
What spend qualifies for commission support or rebates?
The film commissions themselves generally do not charge for their core services: the JFC provides free information, Osaka Film Council charges no intermediary fee, and Okinawa Film Office's information and consultation are free, though a paid location coordinator is a separate service. Money moves at the incentive level instead. Japan's current national subsidy, administered through the Japan Arts Council, covers 50% of eligible production and post-production costs, up to ¥1.5 billion per project, for a Japanese production company working with an overseas producer; a Japanese production spend of at least ¥800 million is one of its screening criteria, not a stated minimum, and no new call was open as of September 2026. Tokyo Metropolitan Government runs its own grant for overseas-release work filmed in Tokyo: up to half of eligible costs, capped at ¥10 million for filming, or up to two-thirds (2/3) if the production used Tokyo's scouting grant first, which covers up to ¥1 million; only a Japanese corporation can apply, and the next filming-grant deadline is 30 September 2026.
Do film commissions in Japan issue filming permits?
No. The Japan Film Commission's own definition of a film commission is a body that coordinates permits and approvals when public facilities are used, not one that grants them. Final filming permission is always decided by whoever controls the location: the police station with jurisdiction for road use, each facility's own manager, or the relevant park office. Regional film commissions differ in how far they go beyond coordination: Osaka Film Council negotiates permission but the production company remains the applicant, Kobe Film Office can file an application on your behalf only for shoots at City of Kobe-managed facilities or areas that promote Kobe's tourism or image to a broad audience, and Okinawa Film Office does not file applications at all.
Ready to Roll
Work with a Fixer Who Knows the System
Our Japan-based team coordinates with the right film commission and permitting authority for every location on your shoot, so you spend less time chasing contacts and more time in production. Contact Fixers in Japan to discuss your next project.