Japan Business Manager Visa

Summary

The Business Manager visa (Keiei-Kanri) is Japan's route for foreign entrepreneurs and executives running a company from inside the country. It covers founders opening a new Japanese corporation as well as senior managers brought in to run an existing one. The visa issues for 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years and is renewable so long as the business keeps operating in good standing.

The program was overhauled in October 2025. The classic benchmark — JPY 5 million (approx. $33k) in capital, a leased office, and either two full-time employees or the capital floor — is the pre-2025 rule. Applications filed before October 16, 2025 were grandfathered under it, and many incumbents are still renewing on that basis. Applications filed on or after October 16, 2025 are subject to tightened thresholds: JPY 30 million (approx. $200k) in stated capital, at least one full-time employee who is a Japanese national or permanent resident, a business-related graduate degree or 3+ years of management experience, and Japanese ability at roughly CEFR B2. Confirm with a Japanese immigration lawyer which set of rules applies to your filing.

Eligibility

You qualify (under the post–October 2025 rules) when all of the following are true:

• You are establishing a new Japanese business or being appointed to manage one.
• The company has JPY 30 million or more in stated capital (or equivalent capital contribution).
• The company has at least one full-time employee who is a Japanese citizen or permanent resident (the old option to substitute capital for employees is gone).
• You hold a master's, doctoral, or professional degree in a business-management or relevant technical field, or have at least 3 years of business-management experience.
• You can demonstrate Japanese language ability at roughly B2 (or employ a senior Japanese-speaking manager in a qualifying role).
• The business has a physical office in Japan (a residential address or a virtual office does not qualify — Immigration inspects).
• You have a credible, documented business plan with realistic revenue and expense projections.

Under the pre–October 2025 rules (grandfathered applicants)

• JPY 5 million (approx. $33k) in capital, or
• Two full-time employees resident in Japan (can be foreign nationals with valid work status), and
• A real leased office.

No Japanese-language or degree requirement under the legacy rules.

What Immigration actually scrutinizes

• Office reality — a signed lease, utility bills, and a layout that supports real work. Co-working desks and virtual mailboxes routinely get rejected.
• Capital provenance — the JPY 30M must be your own, documented funds; loans from family or offshore shells raise red flags.
• Business viability — realistic revenue projections, actual contracts or letters of intent, and enough cash runway to carry the first 1–2 years.
• Ongoing compliance — at renewal, Immigration reviews financial statements. Persistent losses or shell-company patterns trigger non-renewal.

What This Route Allows

This route can allow you to live in Japan through the qualifying investment, business, or self-employment basis described above. The proof package should be concrete before filing: accepted investment or business activity, lawful source-of-funds records, corporate, property, or bank documents where relevant, background checks, and the government forms for this pathway.

What This Route Is Not

This is not just a business idea on paper. Entrepreneur and self-employment routes usually require a credible plan, real activity, funds, qualifications, or official endorsement.

Next Steps

1. Decide which rule set applies. If you are already on a Business Manager visa granted before October 16, 2025, your renewal is reviewed under transitional guidance. New applicants plan for the JPY 30M threshold.
2. Incorporate a Japanese company. Most founders use a kabushiki kaisha (KK) or godo kaisha (GK). A judicial scrivener (shiho-shoshi) usually handles the paperwork.
3. Lease a physical office in Japan. A 3–5 year lease strengthens the application; a short-term serviced-office contract is weaker but workable if supported by real operations.
4. Fund the capital account. Wire the JPY 30M (or legacy JPY 5M) into the company's Japanese bank account and hold documentation of the source of funds.
5. Hire the required full-time employee(s). Under the new rules, at least one Japanese national or permanent resident on payroll before filing.
6. File the Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Filed at the regional Immigration bureau by a proxy in Japan.
7. Convert the COE to a visa at a Japanese consulate in the U.S., then enter Japan and pick up your residence card (Zairyu Card) at the airport.

Sources

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Business Manager — official procedure page.
• Ministry of Justice — 2025 Business Manager reforms — the amended ministerial ordinance effective October 16, 2025.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Working or Long-Term Stay — consular application rules.