Japan · Business & founder
Business Manager Visa
Substantially tightened. The Ministry of Justice promulgated amended ministerial ordinances on 10 October 2025 and the revised criteria took effect on 16 October 2025. The capital requirement rose from JPY 5m to JPY 30m — a sixfold increase — alongside new employment, experience and Japanese-language conditions. Existing holders have a three-year transition to 16 October 2028.
This was the cheap back door into Japan — JPY 5m, about USD 33k, and a plausible business plan. It is now closed to that use case. The reform was explicitly aimed at applicants who were not genuinely investing in Japan's economy, and the combination of JPY 30m capital, a Japanese-national employee, a management track record and a B2-level language link makes this a real operating-business visa.
Qualifying routes
Minimum JPY 30m (roughly USD 190k–200k), up from JPY 5m before 16 October 2025
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 30M JPY
- Total landed cost
- JPY 30m capital plus office lease, the salary of at least one qualifying full-time employee, the mandatory professional review of the business plan, and legal/scrivener fees typically JPY 1–3m
- Timeline
- 2–6 months — Certificate of Eligibility then visa issuance; company incorporation must precede the application
- Physical presence
- You must actually manage the business in Japan; the status is tied to genuine operations
- Family
- spouse and children via Dependent status
- Permanent residency
- generally 10 years of residence (with 5 years on a work status), unless you qualify via the Highly Skilled Professional or J-Skip fast tracks
- Citizenship
- generally 5 years of residence, discretionary, and requires renouncing other citizenships
- Language test
- no formal test, but functional Japanese is expected at naturalisation interview
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted — you would have to renounce
- Requirements
- JPY 30m minimum capital or total investmentAt least one full-time employee who is a Japanese national, permanent resident, special permanent resident, spouse/child of a Japanese national or PR, or long-term residentApplicant or employee must have Japanese proficiency at approximately B2 level, or a Japanese educational background3+ years of business management/CxO experience, OR a master's or doctoral degree related to the businessBusiness plan confirmed by a qualified professionalPhysical office premises in Japan
- Anyone quoting JPY 5m is working from pre-October-2025 material. The figure is JPY 30m and has been since 16 October 2025.
- The full-time employee must be a Japanese national, permanent resident, special permanent resident, spouse/child of a Japanese national or permanent resident, or long-term resident. You cannot satisfy this by hiring another foreign work-visa holder.
- Either the applicant or the employee must have Japanese language proficiency at roughly B2 (CEFR) or an educational background in Japan — a genuine barrier for a non-Japanese-speaking principal.
- Applicants need 3+ years of business management or CxO-level experience, or a master's degree or higher related to the business.
- The business plan must be confirmed by a person with professional expertise in business management (broadly, a certified public accountant or SME management consultant), except for listed-company equivalents.
- Existing holders are NOT grandfathered indefinitely. Extensions filed within three years of 16 October 2025 are judged on business performance and the prospect of meeting the new criteria; after that window the amended criteria apply in full and you must recapitalise to JPY 30m or change status.
- Do not use this visa as a route to Japanese permanent residency without reading the inheritance tax entry on this page first. The visa is a Table 1 status and protects your overseas estate; PR would not.