noun
bogus company; paper company
A company that exists only on paper, often for fraudulent purposes such as tax evasion or money laundering. The term literally means 'ghost company'.
その幽霊会社は実体がなく、書類上だけの存在だった。
That bogus company had no substance and existed only on paper.
A direct loanword from English 'paper company', often used interchangeably with 幽霊会社, but 幽霊会社 carries a stronger nuance of being ghost-like or fraudulent.
A dummy company, often used as a front or shell company. Similar to 幽霊会社 but may imply a more active role in concealing true ownership or transactions.
Compound of 幽霊 (ghost) and 会社 (company), literally 'ghost company'. The term is a native Japanese coinage using existing words to describe a company that exists only on paper.