By Eiko Tsuruta / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Japan's Immigration Services Agency is making arrangements to raise the financial requirement to be granted a business manager visa, which allows foreign nationals launching businesses to reside in Japan, according to sources.
Currently, applicants for this status are required to have capital worth 5 million yen or more. This is much lower than what is required to receive similar residential status in other countries, and the agency aims to make the requirement stricter in order to curb the ongoing influx of people, particularly Chinese nationals, coming to Japan for purposes not in alignment with the original intent of the system, according to the sources.
The business manager visa allows holders to stay in Japan up to five years if they meet certain requirements such as having either capital of at least 5 million yen or at least two full-time staff, and having secured a business office in Japan. There are no restrictions on characteristics such as age, educational background or language proficiency.
In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of Chinese nationals obtaining the visa primarily for the purpose of staying in Japan, rather than out of a desire to do business in the country. The fact that family members are allowed to accompany them has further fueled this trend.
According to the agency, the number of Chinese nationals holding business manager visas was 20,551 as of June 2024, more than double what it had been in 2015 and accounting for more than half of all foreigners residing in Japan under that visa category.
In areas such as Osaka Prefecture, cases have emerged where individuals established companies operating "minpaku" services, renting out private residences as temporary lodgings, in order to obtain the visa and relocate to Japan.
In Diet deliberations, Haruko Arimura, a House of Councillors lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, raised concerns over the situation's potential impact on public safety and the business environment, saying that acquiring the visa has become "an easy route to (obtaining long-term) residency." It is also believed that some affluent Chinese people and others are coming to Japan because they are attracted by its education and social security systems.
The amount of capital required to obtain a similar visa in South Korea is at least 300 million won (about 30 million yen), compared to which Japan's requirement is seen as very affordable. The Japanese government aims to maintain the visa's role as a residency status for highly skilled individuals, and the immigration agency plans to begin discussions as early as this fiscal year with the aim of revising relevant Justice Ministry ordinances.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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June 10, 2025 06:11 ET (10:11 GMT)
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