Article 27-2Special Provisions for Notification of Inward Direct Investment and Equivalent Actions

①Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, if a foreign investor (meaning a foreign investor as provided in Article 26, paragraph (1); excluding a foreign investor that has violated this Act, an Order based on this Act, or an administrative disposition based on either of these, or any other foreign investor prescribed by Cabinet Order as one for which there is a high need to carry out an examination under paragraph (3) of the preceding Article; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) seeks to conduct an inward direct investment or equivalent action (meaning an inward direct investment or equivalent action as provided in Article 26, paragraph (2); limited to an action as stated in items (i) through (iv) of that paragraph or item (ix) of that paragraph (limited to those equivalent to the actions stated in items (i) through (iv)); hereinafter the same applies in this Article and Article 29, paragraph (5)) other than one prescribed by Cabinet Order as being highly likely to constitute inward direct investment or an equivalent action that is a matter of national security or a similar concern, the foreign investor is not required to file the notification under paragraph (1) of the preceding Article. In such a case, the foreign investor must comply with the criteria that must be met in order for an inward direct investment or equivalent action not to constitute inward direct investment or an equivalent action that is a matter of national security or a similar concern, which the Minister of Finance and the competent minister for the business establish.

②Before the Minister of Finance and the competent minister for the business propose to establish, revise, or repeal the criteria provided for in the preceding paragraph, they must hear the opinions of the Council on Customs, Tariffs, Foreign Exchange, and Other Transactions.

③If the Minister of Finance and the competent minister for the business find that a foreign investor that, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), has conducted an inward direct investment or equivalent action without filing a notification under paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, has violated the criteria provided for in paragraph (1), they may issue a recommendation for the foreign investor to take the necessary measures to comply with those criteria.

④If a foreign investor that has been issued a recommendation under the preceding paragraph fails to follow this, the Minister of Finance and the competent minister for the business may order the foreign investor that has been issued the recommendation to take the recommended measures.

⑤Beyond what is provided for in the preceding two paragraphs, Cabinet Order prescribes the procedures for issuing recommendations under paragraph (3), and provides for other necessary particulars in connection with these recommendations.

⑥Assets and rights that a partner of a specified partnership or similar organization acquires through an action that is comparable to the inward direct investments and equivalent actions that the specified partnership or similar organization undertakes are deemed to be acquired, owned, or held by the specified partnership or similar organization, and the provisions of the preceding paragraphs and Article 29, paragraph (5) apply.

⑦A person (including a corporation or any other organization) not constituting a foreign investor is deemed to be a foreign investor in connection with any action comparable to an inward direct investment or equivalent action which that person conducts on behalf of a foreign investor but not in the name of that foreign investor, and the provisions of paragraphs (1) through (5) and Article 29, paragraph (5) apply.