A {{nihongo, shihainin, 支配人, , lit. "manager" is an authorized representative of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

or unincorporated

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

under

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...

. A shihainin has full legal authority to represent the company/business at the place of business to which the shihainin is assigned. This authority may be restricted, but any restriction is unassertable against a third party acting in good faith. The status is often granted to the managers of regional or local offices of the company, as well as to managers at the head office. Directors and

corporate officer Corporate titles or business titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profit corporations, cooperatives, non-profit or ...

s (but not

statutory auditor Statutory auditor is a title used in various countries to refer to a person or entity with an auditing role, whose appointment is mandated by the terms of a statute. World usage A "statutory audit" is a legally required review of the accuracy ...

s) may be granted shihainin status in addition to any other titles they hold within the company. The term can lead to confusion in translation, as the literal translation of "manager" may be confused with internal "manager" titles that do not necessarily denote shihainin status. In most businesses, the term is mainly used in corporate legal documents. However, it is popular in certain industries, such as

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s and

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s, as the sole designation for the manager of a particular property. Company shihainin are generally appointed by the

board of director A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

s. Their name, date of birth, residential address and place of business is recorded in the

commercial register This is a list of official business registers around the world. There are many types of official business registers, usually maintained for various purposes by a state authority, such as a government agency, or a court of law. In some cases, ...

at the Legal Affairs Bureau and kept as

public record Public records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government. For example, in California, when a couple fills out a marriage license application, they have the optio ...

.Commercial Code
article 22
Companies Act
article 918
Commercial Registration Act
article 43.

References

Japanese business law Japanese business terms