A yūgen gaisha (有限会社, "limited company"), abbreviated in English as "Y.K."
[1] Yūgen gaisha were based on the German Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung and were implemented in Japan in the Limited Company Act (有限会社法, Yūgen gaisha hō) of 1940.
The members were required to provide at least ¥3 million in capital contributions, with each investment unit (持分, mochibun) valued at no less than ¥50,000.
However, some larger companies have used the form: ExxonMobil's principal Japanese subsidiary, for instance, is a Y.K.
receives some tax benefits under foreign laws such as the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.