Business Manager (経営・管理)
The status of residence for foreigners actually running a company in Japan, repriced on 16 October 2025 into something far narrower than it was.
It is not an investor visa, even though everyone searches for one. It requires an operating business with premises, staff, and a reviewed plan, not a deposit or a share portfolio. Since 16 October 2025 the capital floor rose from JPY 5,000,000 to JPY 30,000,000 (2026), a sixfold jump, and a mandatory full-time Japanese hire was added alongside a language requirement. If you read a guide written before that date, it is describing a route that no longer exists for new applicants.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Founders and managers actually running a business in Japan |
| Route family | Business |
| Validity | 5, 3, or 1 years, or 6, 4, or 3 months |
| Stay per entry | Matches the granted period |
| Threshold | JPY 30,000,000 in capital or total investment (2026), about USD 200,000 at JPY 150 per USD, plus one full-time employee and either a relevant master’s degree or 3 years of management experience |
| Renewal | Renewable, but the new criteria are applied at renewal |
| Settlement | Discretionary |
| PR clock | 10 years of residence generally, or 3 years if the business also reaches 70 HSP points, 1 year at 80 |
| Citizenship clock | 5 years |
| Family | Yes. Spouse and children as dependants |
| Local employment | Yes. You are the employer |
| Tax headline | Company profits at the corporate rate plus the owner’s salary at progressive rates; consumption tax applies from JPY 10,000,000 of turnover |
| Processing | 1 to 3 months for a Certificate of Eligibility |
Application flow
- Establish the company or the investment structure first. The capital or total investment must reach JPY 30,000,000 (2026).
- Lease premises matching the scale of the business. A home office is generally not accepted.
- Hire at least one full-time employee who is a Japanese national, permanent resident, or long-term resident. A foreign colleague on a work visa does not satisfy this.
- Confirm the language requirement is covered: the applicant or that employee needs Japanese at roughly B2, meaning JLPT N2, BJT 400, a Japanese degree, or 20 years of residence.
- Have the business plan reviewed by a 中小企業診断士, CPA, or tax accountant. Paying an unlicensed person to draft submission documents can breach the 行政書士法.
- File for a Certificate of Eligibility. Expect one to three months.
- Apply for the visa at the embassy, enter, and collect the residence card.
- At renewal, expect the new criteria to be applied in full, including the capital test.
Good fit
A founder with USD 250,000 or more, a real office lease in hand, and a plan reviewed by a licensed accountant or SME consultant. The route still works well for people buying into or taking over an existing Japanese business with employees and turnover, since the capital and staffing requirements are already part of the operation. It is also the conversion target for anyone on the Startup Visa.
Poor fit
The small consultancy founder who used to qualify with JPY 5,000,000. That route is closed. Anyone planning to run a one-person business from an apartment should not apply, since both the staffing and the premises requirements defeat it. Nor does it suit a passive investor: holding shares or property produces no status, and the applicant is expected to be managing the business in Japan.
Watchpoints
- The capital requirement rose sixfold on 16 October 2025. From JPY 5,000,000 to JPY 30,000,000 (2026). Most self-funded founders no longer qualify at all.
- The employee must be Japanese, a permanent resident, or a long-term resident. A foreign colleague on a work visa does not count toward the requirement, which rules out the common workaround of hiring a co-founder.
- Language cover is now mandatory. The applicant or that employee needs roughly B2: JLPT N2, BJT 400, a Japanese degree, or 20 years of residence.
- The business plan must be reviewed by a licensed professional. A 中小企業診断士, CPA, or tax accountant. Paying an unlicensed person to draft the submission can breach the 行政書士法.
- A home office is generally refused. You need a lease for premises that match the scale of the business.
- The transition deadline is 16 October 2028. Existing holders are judged leniently at renewal until then. After that date, companies with capital below JPY 30,000,000 cannot renew their foreign manager.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, Business Manager status page, checked 2026-10-22
- Immigration Services Agency, revised Business Manager landing criteria guidance, checked 2026-10-22