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, literally "anonymous partnerships," are a Japanese
bilateral contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
governed by the Commercial Code of Japan, Article 535 ''et seq''.Japanese Commercial Code, article 535
/ref> In English, they are often called TK or silent partnerships. In many respects they are similar to common law
limited partnership A limited partnership (LP) is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership except that while a general partnership must have at least two general partners (GPs), a limited partnership must have at least one GP and at least one limited p ...
s. In a tokumei kumiai arrangement, invest in a venture operated by a . By law, the partnership itself has no legal personality. Any assets of the partnership are the property of the manager; however, the anonymous partners have a right to a share of any profits from the venture, as provided in the partnership agreement. Anonymous partners have limited liability for the partnership's debts, on the condition that they are anonymous. If an anonymous partner allows their name to be used in the name of the manager or in the name of the partnership, the anonymous partner loses their limited liability. Tokumei kumiai are often used for investment funds. A structure known as the "Dutch TK" was once popular among foreign investors in Japan, as it was possible to recognize income from Japan through a Dutch anonymous partner in a tokumei kumiai without paying Japanese income or withholding taxes under the tax treaty of 1970. This loophole was closed by a new tax treaty in August 2010, which imposes a 20% withholding tax on distributions through such structures. More recently, it has become popular to use a tokumei kumiai together with a godo kaisha to hold a
trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...
beneficial interest A beneficial interest is the right that a person has arising from a contract to which they are not a party, or a trust. For example, if A makes a contract with B that A will pay C a certain sum of money, B has the legal interest in the contract, an ...
in real estate using what is known as a "TK/GK scheme."


See also

* Limited liability partnership


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokumei Kumiai Japanese business terms Japanese business law Partnerships