Business Manager Visa: Japan's Founder Status
The Business Manager visa is Japan's status of residence for foreign nationals who run a business or manage one as an officer.1 It rewards real companies and removes paper ones, usually at the first renewal.23
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Immigration Services Agency site. This article is general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed gyoseishoshi or immigration lawyer.
Last verified: 2026-09 against Immigration Services Agency and Ministry of Justice sources.
Overview
The 経営・管理 (keiei kanri, "business management") status covers operating a trade or other business in Japan, or managing it. Company founders, directors, and managers are the stated examples.1
Stays run 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months, 4 months, or 3 months.1 First-time founders usually receive a short stay, often one year, with longer stays after the business builds a record (as of 2026-06).4 The landing criteria changed substantially with amendments enforced on 16 October 2025.15
The scale test: capital and full-time staff
The reform replaced an either-or test with an every-leg test. Before it, 5 million yen of capital or two full-time staff satisfied the scale rule. Now capital and staff are both required (as of 2025-10).6
| Requirement | Before 16 Oct 2025 | From 16 Oct 2025 (in force) |
|---|---|---|
| Capital or investment | 5M yen, or 2 full-time staff instead | 30M yen of capital or investment (as of 2025-10)2 |
| Full-time staff | Covered by the capital alternative | At least 1 eligible full-time employee (as of 2025-10)7 |
| Japanese ability | None | B2-equivalent for founder or staff (as of 2025-10)4 |
| Founder background | None specified | Relevant degree or 3+ years management experience (as of 2025-10)2 |
| Business plan | Self-prepared | Expert-confirmed plan (as of 2025-10)2 |
The table as a whole reflects the post-reform bar. Confirm each figure with the Immigration Services Agency before filing, since ordinance-level thresholds move on government schedules.
The capital figure
The headline bar is 30 million yen of capital or total investment (as of 2025-10).2 Treat any third-party guide still quoting 5 million yen as stale.2
Sole proprietors are assessed differently from corporations. Their equivalent runs on total business investment, combining office-securing costs, personnel costs, and equipment, rather than on registered capital alone (as of 2026-04).8 Borrowed funds parked briefly to pass the check are a known failure mode. Examiners audit fund flows, and sham capitalization is unlawful.8
The staff rule
At least one full-time employee is mandatory (as of 2025-10).2 Only certain residents count: Japanese nationals, special permanent residents, and Table 2 holders such as permanent residents, spouses or children of Japanese nationals, spouses or children of permanent residents, and long-term residents.7
Foreign staff on work statuses do not count toward this leg. Renewal filings prove the leg with wage-payment documents plus the employee's residence record.1
A real office in Japan
The business needs a dedicated premises appropriate to its scale. Since the reform, using a home as the office is in principle not permitted (as of 2025-10).4
The incorporation mechanics behind the lease, from entity choice to registration, belong to the incorporation guides. This article covers only what the status requires: an independent office that exists on paper and in fact.
The vetted plan and the founder
The business plan must now be evaluated by a person with professional management knowledge. In practice that means a certified SME management consultant (中小企業診断士, chūshō kigyō shindanshi, "certified SME management consultant"), a certified public accountant, or a licensed tax accountant (as of 2025-10).24
The founder must separately show substance. Either a doctorate, master's, or professional degree in a relevant field, or at least three years of management or administration experience, is required (as of 2025-10).27
Language follows the same either-person logic. The founder or a full-time employee must show B2-equivalent Japanese: JLPT N2 or higher, a BJT score of 400 or more, 20-plus years of residence, graduation from a Japanese university, or completion of domestic schooling (as of 2025-10).49
Only lawyers and 行政書士 (gyōsei shoshi, "administrative scrivener") may prepare immigration filings for a fee. Keep that boundary in mind when a consultant offers to file as well as advise.1
Applying: entry routes and periods of stay
First-time entrants from abroad file a 在留資格認定証明書 (zairyū shikaku nintei shōmeisho, "certificate of eligibility") through a representative in Japan. Residents already in Japan file a change of status instead.1
Anyone working outside their granted activity risks revocation, so file the change promptly when the work itself changes.3 The change or extension filing fee is 6,000 yen, or 5,500 yen online, after the 1 April 2025 fee revision (as of 2025-04).4
Application volume tells the scrutiny story. Monthly filings averaged about 1,700 before the reform and fell to about 70 after it (as of 2026-06).9
Renewal: the year-1 gate and what kills it
Renewal is the documented hard gate. The filing bundles the latest financial statements, the registry certificate, staff wage and residence evidence, Japanese-ability evidence, an activity report, residence-tax certificates, and corporate plus labor and social-insurance compliance evidence.1
Three findings kill renewals. A paper company with no real operations fails the activity test. A no-substance finding at the year-1 gate, where sales, staffing, or premises do not match the plan, fails the continuity test. Office failure, meaning the lease lapsed or the premises were never real, fails the premises test.23
Examiners look at stability, revenue trends, tax payment, and operational soundness together. A compliant 30-million-yen file with dead sales and missing insurance enrollments still struggles (as of 2026-04).8
Holders who entered under the old rules get a transition. Renewals filed between 16 October 2025 and 16 October 2028 are judged comprehensively on performance plus the prospect of meeting the new bar. After 16 October 2028 the new criteria apply in full (as of 2025-10).24
Good to know
Old guides still say 5 million yen
The threshold rose sixfold on 16 October 2025, so pre-reform guides mislead on the single most important number. Check the publication or verification date of anything you read, including this article, before acting.2
Renewal checks taxes and insurance, not just sales
The renewal document list demands residence-tax certificates plus labor-insurance, social-insurance, and corporate-tax evidence. Founders who track revenue but skip enrollments discover the gap at the counter.1
Long absences count against you
Renewal judges continuous substantive activity in Japan. Extended time abroad weakens the file even when the company paperwork looks complete.9
See also
- Business Manager Visa Requirements for Founders
- The Incorporation Process
- KK vs. GK: Choosing a Corporate Entity
- Hiring Your First Employee
- From Business Manager to PR or HSP
- Zeirishi: Tax Accountants in Japan