Business Plan for Manager Visa in Japan (2026)

A strong business plan for manager visa purposes must show that a real, adequately funded business can operate in Japan and that the applicant will actively manage it. Since the October 2025 reform, a plan for starting a new business must also receive feasibility confirmation from an eligible management specialist.

What Changed Under the October 2025 Reform?

The revised Business Manager criteria apply a more demanding test to the 経営管理ビザ 事業計画書 (keiei kanri biza jigyō keikakusho). For a new business, the plan must be confirmed by a person with professional knowledge of business management as concrete, reasonable, and feasible under the Immigration Services Agency guidance.

The professional categories identified by the agency include certified public accountants, tax accountants, and Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultants. Engage the reviewer while the plan can still be revised, rather than presenting a finished document whose forecasts, staffing, capital, and premises do not fit together.

This confirmation is not merely proofreading. The specialist needs enough information to evaluate whether the proposed model can realistically function, so provide the assumptions and evidence behind the narrative.

Required Sections of the Business Plan

The plan should read as one connected commercial case. Its market evidence should support its sales assumptions, which should support the staffing budget, office choice, and proposed use of capital.

Business model

Start with a plain-English explanation of what the Japanese business will sell, who will buy it, how customers will be acquired, and how the company will deliver the product or service. Identify the legal entity, operating area, pricing method, payment flow, suppliers, sales channels, and any outsourced functions.

Describe the sequence from customer acquisition through delivery and collection of payment. If the activity requires regulatory permission, identify that issue and the intended response; JETRO notes that regulated activities may require permits or approvals before operations begin in its business setup guidance.

Market analysis

Define a specific Japanese customer group rather than claiming that everyone is a potential buyer. Explain the customer’s problem, why the proposed offer is suitable for Japan, how buying decisions are made, and which alternatives already exist.

Include named competitors and compare their positioning, pricing approach, distribution, and apparent strengths. Support your conclusions with sources, customer discussions, inquiries, test marketing, letters of interest, or relevant experience instead of relying on broad statements about market potential.

Revenue projections

Explain the calculation behind projected revenue. A useful model separates customer volume, transaction frequency, average price, capacity, and the expected time required to generate sales.

Present projected profit and loss, cash movement, major setup costs, and working-capital needs in a consistent format. Use a base case and explain what management would change if sales started more slowly or costs were higher than expected.

Every important assumption should be traceable to evidence or a clearly stated rationale. Signed contracts are valuable when available, but quotations, correspondence, supplier terms, pipeline records, and documented research can also explain how the forecast was developed.

Staffing plan

The staffing section should identify each position, its responsibilities, hiring stage, reporting line, and place in the operating model. Current criteria require at least one qualifying full-time employee, so the plan and financial forecast must account for that employment from the relevant stage of operations under the revised immigration rules.

Separate management work from routine delivery. Explain which decisions the applicant will make, which work employees will perform, what specialists will handle, and why the proposed team can deliver the forecasted sales.

Connect Capital and Office Premises to the Plan

Under the revised criteria, the capital amount or total investment must be at least JPY 30 million, alongside the applicable employment requirement described in the Immigration Services Agency guidance. The plan should not present this capital as an isolated balance-sheet figure; it should explain its source, availability, and commercial purpose.

Provide a use-of-funds schedule covering relevant items such as incorporation, premises, equipment, payroll, professional services, inventory, marketing, and working capital. These allocations must agree with the forecast and the supporting financial records.

The office section should explain why the location, size, layout, permitted use, and equipment are suitable for the stated activity. JETRO explains that an office address is needed for key setup tasks including company registration, official notices, a Certificate of Eligibility application, bank-account procedures, and hiring employees in its setup guide.

Do not assume that a registration address alone demonstrates operational premises. The current immigration guidance generally distinguishes business premises from the applicant’s home, so show that the proposed space is genuinely available and usable for the work described.

Demonstrate Genuine, Ongoing Management

Business Manager status concerns management activity, not passive ownership of a dormant company. The plan should therefore show what the applicant will do after launch: setting strategy, approving expenditure, negotiating with suppliers, supervising staff, monitoring sales, managing risk, and adjusting operations.

Include a management structure and a realistic operating schedule. Explain how information reaches the applicant, which decisions require approval, and how performance will be reviewed.

Supporting materials can make these activities credible. Depending on the business, useful evidence may include draft or signed agreements, supplier quotations, customer correspondence, product materials, website drafts, operating procedures, recruitment plans, professional-service arrangements, and premises records.

A newly established company may not yet have extensive trading evidence. In that situation, document the concrete preparation already completed and distinguish completed actions from future intentions.

Drafting Workflow and Document Checklist

Use the following process to prepare a plan that is internally consistent and ready for specialist review:

• Define the operating model. Record the offer, customers, pricing, sales route, delivery process, suppliers, and required permissions.
• Collect market evidence. Organize sources, competitor findings, customer feedback, inquiries, and commercial correspondence.
• Build assumptions before forecasts. Document how customer numbers, prices, sales timing, direct costs, payroll, rent, and other expenses were estimated.
• Reconcile resources. Check that capital use, staffing, premises, equipment, and outsourced support match the operating model.
• Explain the applicant’s role. Identify recurring management responsibilities and distinguish them from work assigned to employees or contractors.
• Prepare supporting exhibits. Consider corporate records, proof concerning funds, ownership information, contracts, quotations, market materials, financial schedules, recruitment documents, and office evidence.
• Obtain specialist confirmation. Give the reviewer the complete plan and relevant evidence, then address any concerns about feasibility or inconsistencies.
• Run a final consistency review. Ensure names, dates, business activities, financial assumptions, capital information, staffing, and premises details agree across the application.

Treat this as a preparation checklist rather than a universal list of mandatory attachments. The appropriate evidence depends on the proposed business and its stage of development.

Using JETRO’s Free Business-Plan Support

JETRO can help foreign investors research and prepare for market entry. Its Invest Japan Business Support Centers offer access to business and trade resources, consultations with industry experts and accountants, and support concerning matters such as incorporation, tax, labor, and visas; eligible users may also access free temporary office space for up to 50 business days, as explained in the JETRO model setup guide.

Use JETRO before finalizing the market and operating sections. Ask for relevant market resources, discuss practical setup questions, and test whether the proposed form of entry, premises, and professional support arrangements make commercial sense.

JETRO support does not substitute for the specialist confirmation required by immigration. It can, however, help you improve the underlying research and resolve practical weaknesses before submitting the plan to the qualified reviewer.

Final Review Before Submission

A persuasive Japan Business Manager visa business plan is specific, evidenced, and financially connected. Before submission, verify that the same business appears in the narrative, forecasts, staffing plan, capital records, office documents, and specialist review.

The objective is not to make the business appear risk-free. It is to demonstrate a concrete and feasible operation with sufficient resources, identifiable customers, and genuine ongoing management in Japan.

Common questions