Japan Business Manager Visa 2025/10/16 New Rules: ¥30M Capital × Japanese B2 × 3-Year Track Record

What Is the Business Manager Visa? Purpose and Profile

The Business Manager Visa (Keiei-Kanri Visa, 経営・管理) is one of 27 residence statuses defined under Japan's Immigration Control Act. Its purpose is narrow: to let foreign nationals actually operate a business in Japan, as opposed to being employed by a Japanese company.

Before 2015 the status was named "Investor/Business Manager." The "Investor" label was dropped, but in practice capital remains central to the review. The 2025/10/16 revision raised the capital threshold from ¥5,000,000 to ¥30,000,000 and introduced new Japanese-language and management-experience requirements — formally repositioning the status as a high-net-worth-operator visa rather than a small-business start-up route.

Who needs this visa?

Common applicant profiles include:

• Taiwanese parent companies dispatching a director or president to a Japanese subsidiary
• Individual entrepreneurs starting a company in Japan (F&B, trading, IT, real estate brokerage, etc.)
• Cross-border investors acquiring a retail unit or building and operating it directly
• Second-generation family business operators expanding into Japan
• Long-term work-visa holders in Japan who want to convert to running their own company

Why Taiwanese companies need it more than ever

After TSMC's 2022 entry into Kumamoto, Taiwan-Japan business linkages have entered a new phase. Supply chain firms setting up factories, offices, or subsidiaries in Japan has accelerated — and any dispatched Taiwanese representative directors must hold a Business Manager Visa. A tourist or short-term business visa cannot legally support long-term residency tied to running an entity.

The underlying logic of the status is simple: Japan will grant residence to foreign principals — provided you are actually doing business in Japan, and that business has staying power. Every review criterion flows from that premise.

2025/10/16 New-Rule Eligibility — Capital, Hiring, Language, Track Record

On 2025/10/16 the Immigration Services Agency formally enacted the most significant tightening of the Business Manager status since its 2015 renaming. The capital threshold was raised 6x in a single move, and "Japanese-language proficiency" and "management track record" were added as statutory requirements for the first time.

Old vs new rules at a glance

The six new-rule statutory requirements

Requirement 1: Capital of ¥30,000,000 or more

The headline change. The old ¥5,000,000 threshold made Japan's Business Manager Visa accessible to most middle-class Taiwanese families through the sale of a single Taipei apartment. The new ¥30,000,000 threshold corresponds to:

• Approximately NT$6.6 million (at JPY 1 = TWD 0.22)
• Must be deployable capital paid into the Japanese entity's account — pledges, loans, or sham capital injections do not count
• Source of capital must be traceable (accumulated salary, real-estate proceeds, family gifts, dividends, etc., each with documentation)

Requirement 2: At least 1 full-time employee

The new rule replaces "2 Japan-resident employees" with "1+ full-time employee," but tightens the definition of "full-time":

• Must be a Japanese national, special permanent resident, or permanent resident (or equivalent stable status)
• Must be full-time (常勤 / フルタイム) — 30-40+ hours weekly, with a labor contract and social-insurance enrollment
• Dispatched workers, contractors, and part-time staff do not qualify
• Required evidence: labor contract, payroll records, social-insurance enrollment, and a copy of the employee's residence card

Requirement 3: Japanese B2 proficiency (NEW)

For the first time, language proficiency is a statutory requirement. B2 corresponds broadly to JLPT N2 — comfortable everyday and business conversation, ability to read newspapers and business documents, and to handle ordinary business meetings and email. Key rules:

• Either the applicant OR a full-time employee in the company must hold B2 (your choice)
• Acceptable evidence: JLPT N2/N1 certification, CEFR B2/C1 certificate, or a diploma from a Japanese university or vocational school
• If satisfied via an employee, that employee should demonstrably participate in operations and external communications

Requirement 4: 3+ years of management experience OR a relevant master's degree (NEW)

The new rule requires evidence of operating capability. Two options:

• 3+ years of management experience: employment certificates from prior employers showing director, president, or department-head-level management roles for 3+ years; or operating results and financials from a previously-run company
• Relevant master's degree: MBA or a master's in management, commerce, or finance; prepare course descriptions and transcripts because the examiner judges "relevance"

Requirement 5: Physical, independent premises (unchanged)

The applicant must hold a dedicated office in Japan:

• An independent space (not shared with a residence, not shared with another entity)
• Company name plate and signage
• Reasonable business equipment (desks, computers, phone, filing)
• A formal lease (at least 1 year, with "business use" explicitly stated)

Requirement 6: Business sustainability (unchanged)

This remains the most subjective and most consequential test. The examiner must believe the business can keep operating and become profitable. The evidence is almost entirely in the business plan and its supporting documents.

The unwritten review criteria

• Plausibility and traceability of the capital source — a ¥30M figure demands far stronger evidence chains
• Internal logic and market plausibility of the business plan, appropriately scaled to ¥30M of capital
• The applicant's residential and life foundation in Japan (housing, family, spouse)
• The applicant's prior immigration and visa history (overstays, prior rejections)

Document Checklist — With New-Rule Language & Experience Evidence

Under the 2025/10/16 new rules, the document checklist gains four new categories: enhanced capital-source evidence, Japanese-language certification, management-experience proof, and full-time-employee employment documentation.

Applicant personal documents

Corporate / business documents

The Five Failure Modes Under the New Rules

Since the 2025/10/16 new rules took effect, the mix of rejection causes has shifted markedly. Based on industry reports compiled by YAOKI and partnered administrative scriveners, the five dominant failure modes under the new rules are:

① Capital below ¥30M threshold — the largest new-rule cause

This is the single most common rejection cause after 2025/10/16. ¥30,000,000 equates to roughly NT$6.6M, and many applicants prepared for a ¥5M-level budget were caught off guard. The issue isn't only the amount — it's also:

• Source traceability for large sums — accumulated salary, property sale, family gift, dividends; each requires documentary backup
• Capital must be actually deployable — pledges, loans, and sham capital injections do not qualify
• Family gifts require a gift contract AND proof of the giver's capacity — the giver must demonstrably be able to gift ¥30M

② No Japanese B2 evidence (new under the new rules)

The new rule introduces language proficiency as a statutory requirement. Common failure patterns:

• Applicant has zero Japanese AND hires one "generally Japanese-speaking" employee without certification — the examiner cannot confirm B2
• Claims "the staff speak Japanese" without producing JLPT certificates or diplomas as evidence
• Misreads "B2 = conversational" as testable verbally — written certification is needed

Solution: if the applicant's Japanese is insufficient, hire a Japanese national or permanent resident with JLPT N2 or above as a full-time employee. This is the most direct route to satisfy the rule.

③ Insufficient management track record (new under the new rules)

The new rule requires 3+ years of management experience or a relevant master's degree. Common failure patterns:

• 3+ years of service at a prior company, but in sales, engineering, or admin roles — not management — does not qualify
• Management experience exists but no employment certificate available — prior employer refuses to issue, or self-employed history can't self-certify
• "Relevant master's" challenged on relevance — prepare course descriptions to reinforce

④ Weak business plan

This factor gains weight under the new rules because a ¥30M business plan must be far more credible. The classic mistake: writing a "company brochure + product catalog" and calling it a business plan. Examiners are reading for why this company can sustain profitability in Japan AND why ¥30M of capital is required. That requires specific market data, competitor analysis, pricing logic, customer acquisition pathways, and a capital deployment plan.

⑤ Inadequate office or non-substantive hiring

Three frequent office mistakes (unchanged):

• Virtual office: address-only, no physical space — near-automatic rejection
• Home-shared: office set up inside the applicant's residence, lease not designated as business use — high risk
• Open coworking: shared open space, no lockable door — usually rejected

The "full-time employee" review is now stricter under the new rules — you need substantive hiring proof: labor contract, salary payment evidence, social insurance enrollment, employment insurance enrollment. "Paper employees" (contract signed but no actual payroll, or dispatched / part-time staff masquerading as full-time) will get caught.

Writing a Business Plan That Actually Passes — Plus the Capital Source Section

The business plan is the single most important document in a Business Manager Visa application. It is the only artifact through which the examiner can read your entire business thesis. Under the new rules the plan must also include a dedicated "Capital Source & Deployment" section and ensure financial projections are scaled appropriately to ¥30M of capital. A competent business plan contains seven elements:

The seven elements (new-rule edition)

1. Market analysis: Japan (and specifically the prefecture of application) — market size, growth, key competitors, segmentation
2. Product / service positioning: what you sell, to whom, at what price, with what differentiation
3. Customer acquisition path: how you get to first customers, how you scale (digital? channel? parent-company referrals?)
4. Financial projection (3 years): monthly or quarterly revenue and cost estimates, break-even point, cash flow forecast — scaled appropriately to ¥30M of capital
5. Hiring plan: Year 1 full-time employee placement, Year 2-3 expansion, role breakdown, language-capability allocation
6. Founder ability: why you are the right operator for this business (education, career, 3-year management track record, technical skill)
7. Risk and exit logic: if the market disappoints, what's the contingency? Where is the capital stop-loss?

★ New-rule requirement: dedicated capital-source section

Under the new rules, the business plan must include a standalone "Capital Source & Deployment" section, clearly explaining to the examiner the legitimacy and deployability of the ¥30M of capital. It should cover:

• Source breakdown: itemize each component of the ¥30M (¥X from accumulated salary / ¥X from real-estate proceeds / ¥X from family gift / ¥X from dividends, etc.), each with corresponding bank records
• Source legitimacy evidence: home-country tax records, property sale agreement with tax certificates, payroll withholding statements, gift contract with proof of giver's capacity
• Wire trail: complete remittance path from the originating account into the Japanese entity's account, including any intermediate accounts
• Capital deployment plan: how the ¥30M will be allocated (office key money, equipment, personnel, initial working capital), aligned with the operating plan

The common failure patterns

Pattern A: Templated, parameters never changed

Public templates abound. But pasting in market figures from another country or another industry, with competitor analyses citing unrelated companies — the examiner sees through it immediately.

Pattern B: Wildly optimistic revenue

Year 1 forecast of ¥10M monthly revenue with no client list, no channel plan — classic "optimism trap." Examiners ask: "Based on what?" A conservative profile — small loss Year 1, breakeven Year 2, modest profit Year 3 — is more credible when the logic holds. Under the new rules, revenue projections should scale appropriately to ¥30M capital but remain internally consistent.

Pattern C: No local grounding

The plan never explains "why Japan, why this city, what local partners are involved." Examiners infer the applicant hasn't done the homework.

Pattern D: Inconsistencies between Japanese and Chinese versions

If you submit both, they must match exactly. Cases where the Japanese version says "1 full-time employee" and the Chinese says "dispatch + part-time" damage credibility in a way that's hard to recover from (and under the new rules, the strict definition of "full-time" leaves no room for version drift).

Interview Coaching — What the Examiner Wants to Hear

Not every Business Manager Visa case triggers an interview. But if the examiner has questions during paper review, you'll be summoned. Interviews are held at the regional Immigration bureau and last 30-60 minutes.

The eight most common questions

1. Why did you choose Japan to start this business? Why this city?
2. Describe your business activities, main customers, and revenue sources.
3. What is your company's current operating status? Has revenue begun?
4. Specifically, where did the ¥30M capital come from? (new-rule focus)
5. Who is your full-time employee? What is their Japanese-language level and role? (new-rule focus)
6. In your business plan you wrote XX — please elaborate.
7. What is your 3-year development plan?
8. If the business does not perform as planned, what is your contingency?

Answering technique

Technique 1: Consistency with the file

The interview's purpose is to verify that the written file represents you. Every answer must align with the business plan — numbers, client names, hiring plan. Improvising different figures damages credibility immediately.

Technique 2: Specific and honest

Avoid "the future looks bright" and "the market is huge." Be concrete: "We've signed clients A, B, and C, monthly revenue is approximately ¥XX, and we expect to add two more by year-end."

Technique 3: When you don't know, say so

If asked about a specific detail you're uncertain on (e.g., exact monthly revenue), do not fabricate. Say "I'll need to check the books and submit a supplementary document after the meeting." Fabrication is worse than admitting uncertainty.

Cultural notes

• Dress: formal business attire (suit and tie for men, business suit for women). No casual wear.
• Punctuality: Japanese culture expects you to arrive 10-15 minutes early. Lateness is a deduction.
• Etiquette: bow on greeting; maintain eye contact but not excessively.
• Language: if your Japanese is limited, request an interpreter in advance. But if you are the representative director and cannot manage basic Japanese at all, examiners may infer a lack of seriousness about operating in Japan.
• Business card: bring cards (with a Japanese version) and present with both hands at the start of the meeting.

After Approval — New-Rule Renewal, Dependents, PR Pathway

Getting approved is the starting line, not the finish line. The renewal review is often stricter than the first application, because the examiner now has actual operating history to evaluate. Under the new rules, the same requirements apply at renewal — new-rule holders must continue to maintain ¥30M capital, the 1 full-time employee, Japanese B2 capability, and operating results. Grandfathered holders are still reviewed under the old rules at renewal (but we recommend they continue strengthening compliance evidence to support a future PR filing).

Renewal conditions, side-by-side (new-rule edition)

Dependent visas can be filed in parallel

Once the Business Manager Visa is approved, a spouse can apply for "Dependent" status. The spouse can reside in Japan, but is limited to 28 hours of work per week unless they obtain their own work visa. Children can enroll in Japanese schools.

Operationally, filing the dependent visa together with the main application is preferred — joint submission saves time, and the spouse can arrive in Japan immediately after the principal's visa is issued.

The Permanent Resident pathway

After 10 continuous years of residence in Japan, with at least 5 years on a work-eligible status (Business Manager qualifies), an applicant can file for Permanent Resident status. Specific requirements:

• 10+ years of continuous residence (5+ years on a work visa)
• No criminal record, no major tax violations
• Stable income and assets (annual income of ¥3M-4M+ recommended)
• Complete tax compliance record
• Contribution to Japanese society (operational results, hiring scale are arguments)

Common post-approval mistakes (new-rule edition)

• Capital reduction: for new-rule holders, materially reducing capital before renewal is treated as a change in conditions — a hard no
• Full-time employee departing without replacement: if you rely on the employee's Japanese B2 capability and they leave without an equivalently-qualified replacement, the renewal will be rejected
• Tax compliance failures: missing deadlines on corporate or consumption tax triggers questions at renewal
• Office relocation not reported: moving the office requires notice to Immigration; otherwise renewals are affected
• Excessive absence from Japan: as the operating manager, you cannot be outside Japan more than half the year
• Major corporate changes for grandfathered holders: capital increases, change of representative director, or similar material shifts may cause Immigration to treat the next renewal as a new case under the new rules

For long-term clients YAOKI offers an "annual compliance check" — a review before each renewal cycle, catching issues before they surface in Immigration's review. After the new rules took effect, this review puts a sharper focus on capital maintenance, full-time-employee status, and the validity of language certifications.

References cited in this article

• Immigration Services Agency — "Business Manager" revision notice (effective 2025/10/16) — Ministry of Justice (official)
• 2025/10/16 revision detailed commentary — Daiichi Sogo Office
• Business Manager Visa Japan 2025 Guide — ACROSEED
• Article prepared on 2026.05.22. If Japan's Immigration policy is further updated, please refer to the latest official notice.
• Industry-experience figures cited by the YAOKI team reflect practitioner range estimates; for specific cases, please consult YAOKI for a customized analysis.

Last data update: 2026.05.22 · If government policy or market data is updated, the most recent official notice prevails.