Japan to toughen requirements for business manager visa applications

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan's proposed revision of a ministerial ordinance also includes requiring visa applicants to employ at least one full-time staff member at their companies.

The move came after revelations of cases in which people established firms with no actual operations simply to obtain the visa.

The new requirements for the business manager visa -- designed to allow foreign nationals to start, operate or manage a business in Japan -- are expected to take effect in October after comments are solicited from the public through Sept. 24.

The agency said it compared similar systems in the United States and South Korea when deciding to make the substantial increase in the minimum capital requirement.

Under the new system, visa applicants will be required to have at least three years of work experience or an academic qualification related to company management.

They will also need to have their new business plans checked by specialists who hold small and medium enterprise management consultant certificates.

Currently, individuals can qualify for the visa if they have an office for their business in Japan, regardless of whether operations have started, and have capital of at least 5 million yen or employ two or more full-time workers.

As of the end of 2024, foreigners living in Japan on the visa hit a record 41,615. By nationality, Chinese were the highest proportion at 21,740, followed by Nepal at 2,830 and South Korea at 2,741.

Of those holding the visa, some 4 percent would satisfy the new envisioned requirement of a minimum capital of 30 million yen, it said, casting doubt on the future of many in Japan.

Earlier, it was reported that the population of Japanese nationals in 2024 fell by around 908,000 from a year earlier to 120,653,227, declining for the 16th straight year and recording the largest reduction since the current method of tracking began in 1968.