Visas for Those Engaged in Managing a Company (Business Manager Visa)

This article has been updated to reflect the revised requirements for the Business Manager status of residence that took effect on October 16, 2025, and the information available as of October 31, 2026. It explains the main current requirements and the renewal arrangements for those who already hold this status.

Background

In general, for a foreign national to manage a company in Japan, that person must first get a business management visa.

This visa used to be known as an “investment management visa”, but the name was changed to “business management visa” by amendment to the law.

As a general matter, a foreign national cannot engage in the management of a company while in Japan without obtaining a business management visa. However, foreign nationals who have a resident status without work restrictions, such as permanent residents, spouses of Japanese, spouses of permanent residents, and long-term residents, may lawfully manage a company just like a Japanese national without having to obtain a business management visa.

In addition, a foreign national residing overseas may come to Japan for a short stay to prepare for setting up a company. Whether a visa is needed to enter Japan for a short stay depends on factors such as your nationality and passport. However, a short stay does not allow you to actually start managing a company. To do so, it is necessary to first obtain a business management visa.

Setting up a company and obtaining a business management visa are separate procedures. Depending on the type of application, you will need to prepare the office, the business, the funds and other matters before you apply, and if there is a problem with any of these, you may have to redo contracts or spend additional money. For this reason, we highly recommend that you move forward by consulting with an immigration lawyer (gyosei-shoshi lawyer) at the company set up stage.

Permitted Scope of Activities

The scope of permitted activities for a business management visa are:

1. Start to operate a newly established business and engage in management activities for that business;
2. Participate in a business already operating in Japan and be involved in administration and management activities; and
3. Take over the administrative and management activities in lieu of someone who previously managed the company (for example, when you buy an existing company)

Although business management visas are commonly obtained when setting up a new company in Japan, they are also obtained when you purchase a company and become a director or officer of an already existing company. In each case, you must actually be engaged in managing or administering the business; simply being appointed as a director or acquiring shares is not enough.

Conditions for Business Management Visas

For a business management visa, stability and continuity of management is required. You will need to prepare documents showing how each of the conditions below is met.

To obtain a business management visa, the following conditions must be met.

1. Securing an office. Securing an office or other premises in Japan where the business will be managed. As a general rule, the office must be separate from your residence, and virtual offices are not recognized for the purpose of this visa.
2. At least 1 full-time employee. The company must employ at least one full-time employee. The employee must be a Japanese national, a special permanent resident, or a foreign national with a status such as Permanent Resident, Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident, or Long-Term Resident. You, as the applicant, cannot be counted as this employee.

3. Capital or investment. For a company, capital (or total contributions) of 30 million yen or more is required. For a sole proprietorship, the total amount invested in the business, such as for the office, one year of employee salaries and equipment, must be 30 million yen or more. Please note that this requirement and the employment requirement in item 2 must both be met; meeting one does not replace the other.

Further, the source of the funds may raise an issue as well. The Immigration Services Agency (the ISA) will ask how you raised the funds in the screening. It is necessary to be able to clearly explain the source of the funds.

4. Japanese language ability. Either you or a full-time employee must have a considerable level of Japanese language ability, equivalent to B2 or higher on the Reference Framework for Japanese Language Education. For example, passing level N2 or higher of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) or scoring 400 or more on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test can show this level, but there are other ways as well. Unlike the employment requirement in item 2, the employee who meets this requirement may also be a foreign national residing in Japan under another status of residence, such as a work-related status.
5. Education or experience. You must have a doctoral, master’s or professional degree (including an equivalent degree obtained outside Japan) in business management or in a field related to the technology or knowledge needed for the business, or at least 3 years of experience in managing or administering a business. This article explains the requirements for people who will manage their own business. Different requirements apply if you will be employed to administer a business managed by others.
6. Business licenses. As a general rule, business licenses and approvals have been obtained for industry sectors that require them (e.g., restaurant operator’s license, second-hand dealers, travel industry, real estate industry, and others)
7. Tax and other public obligations. All legally required notifications have been made to the appropriate tax authorities, and the required procedures for taxes, labor insurance and social insurance have been taken.
8. Business plan. Drafting a business plan that shows the stability and continuity of the business. The business plan must be specific, reasonable and feasible, and must be reviewed by a professional with expertise in business management, such as a small and medium enterprise management consultant (chusho kigyo shindanshi), a certified public accountant or a certified public tax accountant (zeirishi). This review is separate from the application support provided by a gyosei-shoshi lawyer.

Renewals for Those Who Already Hold This Visa

The revised requirements apply, in principle, to new applications and changes of status of residence. Separate transitional rules apply to some applications filed before October 16, 2025 and to some changes from the Designated Activities status for foreign entrepreneurs (the startup visa) and similar programs. Different arrangements also apply when people who already held a business management visa before October 16, 2025 renew it.

For renewals until October 16, 2028, an application will not be denied simply because the revised requirements, such as the 30 million yen capital requirement, are not met. However, the ISA will consider factors such as the condition of the business and whether the revised requirements are likely to be met in the future, so renewal is not guaranteed.

After that date, the revised requirements must in principle be met. Even so, the ISA has indicated that it will consider whether the business is doing well, whether corporate and other taxes have been properly paid, and whether the requirements are likely to be met by the next renewal, rather than refusing every renewal that does not yet meet them.

When you renew, the ISA will also check whether taxes, social insurance and labor insurance have been properly handled, whether any required business licenses have been obtained, and whether you are actually managing the business. Please note that these renewal arrangements do not extend to permanent residency. After October 16, 2025, an application for permanent residency from a business management visa will not be granted unless the revised requirements are met.

Applying for a business management visa requires preparing many supporting documents and explaining them clearly.

If you need a business management visa and it is not granted, you will not be able to manage your company even if it has already been set up. Even though it is possible to confirm the reason for the visa not being granted and then amend and re-submit the application, it is better to prepare thoroughly for the first application, since you will not be able to manage your company while you are awaiting the outcome of the re-submitted application.

For this reason, you must think systematically about how to satisfy the conditions for obtaining a business management visa even before you set up your company.

Kobe Legal Partners provides one-stop service and support for the entire process from setting up the company to your visa application.