Can a US based sole proprietorship operate in Japan and in the European Union via internet?

Question

Are there any additional steps to be taken by the sole proprietor to operate in these countries?

Answer 1

What do you mean by "operate"?

- selling to customers from these countries?

- registering your business in these countries?

- having a presence in these countries such as server?

- employing people from these countries?

If you only mean selling, yes, you can sell to customers from Japan and European Union

Answer 2

your still subject to us rules and taxes, and make sure you make that clear on your site. as if a person from japan wants to sue you and files over there, you'd have to pay the expenses. so clearly state that you operate with us laws and regulations and any complaints or law suits have to be done in whatever state your in. (read amazon's disclosure for an idea, they limit it to i think washington state)

but if your just planning on shipping, i dont think you need a license or anything