What Does the Business Manager Visa Require After the October 2025 Reform?
Business Manager is the residence status for foreign nationals running or managing a business in Japan. The landing permission criteria were raised substantially with effect from 16 October 2025, and plans built on earlier guidance no longer hold up. Start from the current requirements.
What changed in October 2025?
The revision went well beyond the capital figure, reaching full-time staff, Japanese language ability, management experience, and how the business plan is verified. The old rule offered a choice — ¥5 million in capital or two full-time employees. The new one requires both capital and employment.
Main changes effective 16 October 2025
| Requirement | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | ¥5 million or more | ¥30 million or more |
| Full-time staff | Alternative to capital (2 or more) | 1 or more, in addition to capital |
| Japanese ability | None | B2-equivalent (JLPT N2 or above) for the applicant or a full-time employee |
| Management experience | None | 3 years or more, or a relevant master's degree |
| Business plan | Optional | Verified by a certified consultant, CPA or tax accountant |
| Business premises | Relatively loose | An independent office must be secured |
The current thresholds
- Capital
- ¥30Mor more
- Full-time employees
- 1or more
- Transition for existing holders
- 3years
Was ¥5 million before the reform
Required alongside the capital threshold
Until 16 October 2028
The governing provisions
- Immigration Control Act, Appended Table I (2), 'Business Manager'
- Establishes the status for activities of operating a business or engaging in its management in Japan.
- Ministerial Ordinance on Landing Permission Criteria (as amended, effective 16 October 2025)
- Sets the criteria on capital, employment of full-time staff, Japanese language ability, management experience and securing premises — all raised significantly by this amendment.
- Immigration Control Act, Article 7(1)(ii)
- Requires, as a condition for landing, that the activity conform to the criteria set by the ministerial ordinance.
What if you already hold the status?
A transition period runs to 16 October 2028 for existing holders, with conformity to the new criteria expected progressively at renewal. What you need to satisfy, and by when, depends heavily on your situation — raise it with a specialist well before your renewal date.
How should capital be evidenced?
Capital must be at a level that genuinely supports an independent business. Parking the money in an account is not enough: you need to be able to document the remittance route and the source of funds. For overseas transfers, keep a paper trail showing what the money came from, which accounts it passed through, and when it arrived.
Does real estate investment count as a real business?
Holding property alone is not enough. It has to be structured as continuing business activity — leasing operations, acquisition and disposal — and the review weighs your own involvement, the financial plan and the hiring plan together. Even where leasing is the main line of business, securing an independent office for the management work is a practical hurdle.
Common oversights and what to do instead
✕Incorporating with ¥5 million on the basis of pre-reform guidance, then finding the threshold unmet at filing.
→Check the current ordinance before incorporating and plan for both capital and employment.
✕Unable to evidence where the capital came from once documents were requested.
→Keep a complete trail of origin, remittance route and deposit dates from before the transfer.
✕Filing with a virtual office or a room at home, which did not satisfy the premises requirement.
→Lease or own an independent office where actual operations can be verified.
✕Submitting a self-written business plan without expert verification.
→Have the plan verified by a certified consultant, CPA or tax accountant.
Preparing an application
- Confirmed the requirements under the current ordinance
- Built a funding plan meeting the ¥30 million threshold
- Prepared a hiring plan for at least one full-time employee
- Able to evidence Japanese ability for yourself or a full-time employee
- Prepared proof of three years' management experience or a qualifying degree
- Secured an independent office
- Obtained expert verification of the business plan
- Assembled documents evidencing the source of funds
Frequently asked questions
- Q. When did the reform take effect?
- A. 16 October 2025. New applications from that date are in principle assessed against the new criteria.
- Q. What about existing Business Manager holders?
- A. A transition period runs to 16 October 2028, with progressive conformity expected at renewal. Confirm your own position with a specialist.
- Q. Who has to meet the Japanese language requirement?
- A. Guidance indicates it can be satisfied by either the applicant or a full-time employee at B2-equivalent level. Check the latest details at the time you apply.
- Q. Can leasing property alone secure the status?
- A. Ownership by itself is weak as evidence of a real business. You need it structured as continuing activity, backed by a plan and an operating structure.
The SUMIMOTO Hub app runs projected-return simulations for investment properties and supports searches with a business plan in mind. For whether an application will succeed, consult an immigration lawyer or certified administrative scrivener. Rules change — confirm the position as at your filing date.
Planning a business and a property purchase together?
We will send you the SUMIMOTO Hub service overview — from return simulations through to property introductions, in your language.
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