Pathway

Japan Business Manager Visa

Japan Residency

Last updated August 24, 2026

Pathway overview

At a glance

Japan's Business Manager status is for active management of a genuine Japan business. New applications must satisfy the post-16 October 2025 requirements and remain subject to an individual immigration decision.

Type: Business-management residence
Business scale: JPY ¥30 million plus at least 1 qualifying full-time employee
Applicant background: 3 years' management experience or a relevant graduate/professional degree
Japanese ability: B2 by the applicant or a full-time employee
Period of stay: 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months, 4 months, or 3 months
Minimum investment: JPY ¥30M business scale

Summary

Japan's Business Manager status is for a foreign national who will genuinely operate or manage a business in Japan. It can cover a founder establishing a Japan business, an owner taking an active management role, or an experienced executive managing an existing operation. The activity must be real management in Japan. Buying shares, funding somebody else's company, creating a paper company, or doing overseas remote work from Japan is not enough.

The current requirements changed on 16 October 2025. A new application now generally needs all of the main items below: a business in Japan, at least JPY ¥30 million in qualifying business scale, at least one qualifying full-time employee, the applicant's required degree or management experience, B2-level Japanese ability held by the applicant or a full-time employee, a genuine Japan office, and a concrete business plan reviewed by an accepted Japanese professional. The application is still assessed individually; meeting the checklist does not force approval.

The permitted periods of stay are five years, three years, one year, six months, four months, or three months. The period granted is an immigration decision, not a duration the applicant can choose.

Eligibility

For a new status decision under the post-16 October 2025 rules, the application normally needs to establish all of the following:

Qualifying activity. The applicant will substantially participate in operating or managing a lawful business in Japan. Their management duties, authority, and pay should be clear.
A business place in Japan. The business must have an office or other appropriate place from which it operates. Official guidance looks at the lease, permitted use, business identity, equipment, layout, and whether the location supports real operations. A virtual mailing address by itself is not a business place.
JPY ¥30 million business scale. For a corporation, this ordinarily means at least JPY ¥30 million in paid-in capital or total contributions. For a sole proprietor, it means at least JPY ¥30 million actually invested in what the business needs, such as securing the workplace, one year of employee wages, and equipment. Capital from several companies cannot simply be added together; one relevant business must meet the test.
At least one qualifying full-time employee. This is required in addition to the JPY ¥30 million scale. For this staffing test, the employee must be Japanese, a special permanent resident, or a foreign national with an eligible status in Appended Table II—Permanent Resident, Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident, or Long-Term Resident. A worker with an ordinary work status does not count for this particular test.
Applicant background. The applicant must have at least three years of experience operating or managing a business, including qualifying start-up preparation activity, or a master's, doctoral, or professional degree related to management or to the technology or knowledge needed for the proposed business. A bachelor's degree alone is not the listed alternative.
Japanese ability. Either the applicant or a full-time employee must have Japanese ability at B2 level under Japan's reference framework. For a person who is not Japanese or a special permanent resident, listed proof includes JLPT N2 or above, BJT 400 or above, twenty years as a mid- to long-term resident, graduation from a Japanese higher-education institution, or completion of Japanese compulsory education followed by Japanese high school.
Professionally reviewed plan. For a new status decision, the plan must be concrete, reasonable, and feasible and must be reviewed by an accepted professional. The official guidance currently identifies a Japanese certified SME management consultant, certified public accountant, or tax accountant. An overseas credential with a similar title does not by itself meet this rule.
Lawful and sustainable operation. Immigration may examine registrations, permits, employment law, minimum-wage compliance, social insurance, employment insurance, workers' compensation, tax payment, funding source, accounts, contracts, and whether the business can continue.

Existing holders and the transition. An application accepted by 15 October 2025 is assessed under the former standards. A person already holding Business Manager status who applies to renew by 16 October 2028 is not refused solely because the new standards are not yet met; immigration considers the business condition and the likelihood of compliance. After that transition, the current criteria apply in principle. The agency's June 2026 FAQ also says a capital shortfall alone is not an automatic refusal where the business is healthy, taxes are properly paid, compliance is expected by the next renewal, and the overall residence history supports approval. This is a narrow case-by-case safeguard, not a general waiver.

What This Route Allows

The status permits the approved business-management activity in Japan. A holder can direct the company, supervise staff, negotiate and execute the business plan, and perform incidental work tied to that management role. The status can be renewed while the person continues the qualifying activity and immigration is satisfied with the business and the person's compliance.

A spouse and dependent children may normally apply for Dependent status if the family rules are met. Their status and any work authorization are separate from the Business Manager holder's status.

Time in Business Manager status can contribute to a later permanent-residence history. It does not create an automatic ten-year approval, and it does not itself shorten the residence period. The current permanent-residence guideline ordinarily asks for ten continuous years in Japan, including five continuous years in a qualifying work or residence status, unless a separate exception applies. Tax, pension, insurance, character, current-status, and national-interest requirements remain important.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a passive-investor or property-purchase visa. Japan does not grant this status merely because a person can transfer JPY ¥30 million. The applicant needs the required business, employee, background, language capacity, office, reviewed plan, and credible operations.

It is not the Digital Nomad status and is not intended for a foreign freelancer who only serves overseas clients from a laptop. It is also not a promise of five years on the first grant. Shorter grants are possible, and a renewal can fail if the business is inactive, persistently unsustainable, non-compliant, or materially different from the approved activity.

The older JPY ¥5 million-or-two-employees description is not the rule for a new post-16 October 2025 application. Applicants should not build a new plan around that superseded test.

Next Steps

Define the Japan activity precisely: ownership, duties, decision-making authority, salary, products or services, customers, and why the activity must operate in Japan.
Decide whether the applicant meets the experience/degree condition and who will supply the B2 Japanese proof. Obtain the underlying degree, employment, test, residence, or education evidence.
Model one business at or above the JPY ¥30 million scale and document the lawful source and movement of every material contribution. A sole proprietor should map each qualifying expenditure.
Identify and lawfully hire at least one full-time employee who counts for the staffing test. Do not assume any foreign employee with work permission qualifies.
Secure a genuine business location with a lease and permitted use that match the planned operation. Check local licensing and zoning before committing funds.
Prepare the operating plan, forecasts, market evidence, contracts, staffing plan, and funding records, then obtain the required review from an accepted Japanese professional.
Use the current application checklist and forms. A Japan-side representative commonly files a Certificate of Eligibility application for a person applying from abroad; an applicant already in Japan may need a change-of-status application. The correct procedure depends on present status and facts.
If relying on the transition as an existing holder, preserve accounts, tax and insurance payment evidence, labor-law compliance, and a dated plan showing how and when the current criteria will be met.

Japan Business Manager Visa

At a glance

Summary

Eligibility

What This Route Allows

What This Route Is Not

Next Steps

Related pathways

Norway Self-Employed Worker Residence

Sweden Residence for Self-Employed People

Germany Self-Employed Business Visa

Sources