Business Manager Visa Requirements Japan (2026)

Japan’s Business Manager Visa is for a person who will genuinely run or administer a business in Japan—not someone who only owns shares while others operate it. For a new application after the reform effective 16 October 2025, a business office, a qualifying full-time employee, sufficient business assets, manager credentials, and a professionally reviewed business plan are central to the application.

This guide explains the current 経営・管理ビザ (keiei kanri biza), commonly called the Business Manager Visa, for applicants researching Japan business manager visa 2026 requirements.

What the Business Manager Visa is for

The official activity covered by this status is managing trade or another business in Japan, or engaging in the administration of that business. Typical examples are company executives and managers, and the available periods of stay are five years, three years, one year, six months, four months, or three months.

The key question is what you will actually do in Japan. You should be able to show substantial, continuing participation in management or administration: making business decisions, understanding finances and operations, directing the business, and carrying responsibility for its performance.

Ownership alone is not enough. The Immigration Services Agency specifically says that where a person outsources work so extensively that their activity as a manager is not sufficiently recognized, the activity may not be treated as qualifying Business Manager activity. Its examples include outsourcing most work, not conducting day-to-day management personally, or not knowing information a manager should know, such as the concrete business content or financial position. See the official guidance and Q&A.

This matters particularly for businesses that rely on contractors, outside agencies, or overseas teams. Outsourcing may be commercially sensible, but it should not leave the applicant unable to demonstrate an authentic management role in the Japanese business.

The October 2025 reform: what changed

The revised landing standards took effect on 16 October 2025. The reform introduced explicit requirements on staffing, business scale, Japanese ability, the applicant’s background, and specialist review of the business plan.

For new applications subject to the revised standards, these requirements form the framework for showing that the proposed business is sufficiently established and that the applicant is equipped to manage it.

JPY 30 million in capital or business investment

The revised standard requires business assets totaling at least JPY 30 million. For a corporation, this means the paid-in capital of a stock company or the total contribution amount for a general partnership, limited partnership, or limited liability company.

For an individual business, it does not mean that you must create corporate capital. Instead, the relevant amount is the total actually invested for the business, such as securing premises, one year of employee wages, and equipment investment. Immigration may examine financial statements and, where needed, records such as receipts to confirm the invested amount. Official Q&A on business scale.

Do not assume corporate expenses can be added to paid-in capital to reach the threshold. Immigration states that, for a corporate business, the judgment is based on capital or total contributions; employee wages and office maintenance costs cannot be combined with that amount for this purpose.

If you manage more than one company, it is also not enough to aggregate their capital. At least one company must independently meet the JPY 30 million scale.

At least one qualifying full-time employee

The company or business must employ at least one full-time employee.

For this core staffing requirement, the employee must be a Japanese national, a special permanent resident, or a foreign national holding an eligible status under Appendix II of the Immigration Control Act: Permanent Resident, Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident, or Long-Term Resident. A person in an Appendix I work status does not count toward this particular requirement. See the official employee eligibility guidance.

Immigration describes a full-time employee by reference to the actual working arrangement and treatment. Relevant indicators include working at least five days per week, 217 days per year, and 30 hours per week, along with appropriate pay and employment insurance coverage. Workers at the business through secondment, dispatch, or contracting are not treated as its full-time employees for this purpose.

Prepare evidence that proves the person’s employment and eligibility, including wage-payment records and residence documentation. The application materials specifically request documents showing the full-time employee’s pay and residence status. Required-document list.

Japanese-language capability in the business

The revised standards also require the applicant or a full-time employee to have Japanese ability equivalent to B2 or above. This language requirement is separate from the rule on who can count as the qualifying full-time employee.

For people other than Japanese nationals or special permanent residents, Immigration lists ways to establish the required level, including JLPT N2 or above, a BJT Business Japanese Test score of at least 400, long-term residence in Japan, or specified Japanese educational history. The applicant may satisfy this requirement personally, or another full-time employee may do so if the evidence is properly provided. Official Japanese ability guidance.

Management experience or a relevant advanced degree

The applicant must now show either relevant education or professional experience. The accepted education route is a doctoral, master’s, or professional degree in business management or in a field connected with the proposed business; an equivalent degree awarded abroad is included. Official requirements.

The alternative is at least three years of experience in business management or administration. Time spent on qualifying startup-preparation activities under the designated activities status can be included in that experience.

Your evidence should match the route you rely on. For education, provide the degree certificate. For experience, prepare a résumé identifying the organizations, duties, and dates, plus employment certificates or similar documents verifying the period and nature of the relevant work. The official application page identifies these documents for Business Manager applications. See the document requirements.

A separate business office is generally required

Immigration’s post-reform position is that combining the applicant’s home and business office is, in principle, not permitted because the business needs premises appropriate for the revised scale of operations. Official office guidance.

There is no single published minimum floor area. Instead, the office must be sufficiently sized for the management activity and business scale. That makes the quality of your evidence important: the location, the lease terms, the intended use of the space, and how the premises support the planned business should all align.

For a new application or status change, Immigration requests documents proving the existence of office facilities, such as a real estate registration certificate, lease agreement, or other material. Required-document list.

Your business plan needs specialist review

At the visa decision stage, the business plan must be evaluated by a person with specialist knowledge of management. The review is required to assess whether the plan is concrete, reasonable, and feasible. Immigration’s reform guidance.

As of the reform’s enforcement date, eligible reviewers included a Japanese-certified management consultant (中小企業診断士, chusho kigyo shindanshi), certified public accountant, or tax accountant. Immigration says the eligible group may change, so check the official page when preparing the filing.

The reviewer cannot be an officer or employee of your company because Immigration requires objectivity. An external adviser who is a certified public accountant or tax accountant may perform the evaluation. Official Q&A on eligible reviewers.

A useful plan should therefore do more than describe an idea. It should connect the business model to the office, investment, employee, management structure, Japanese-language capability, expected operations, and financial assumptions. The specialist’s evaluation should be based on a plan that is internally consistent and capable of being implemented.

A practical application checklist

The exact papers depend on the organization category and whether you apply for a certificate of eligibility, status change, or extension. However, an applicant under the new standards should organize the following work in a logical order.

1. Define your management role. Identify your position, responsibilities, decision-making authority, remuneration, and how you will participate in the Japanese operation. Use documents appropriate to your situation, such as articles of incorporation, shareholder resolutions, an appointment letter, or an employment contract. Immigration’s activity documents.

2. Establish the business entity or individual operation. For a corporation, provide registration details or, if registration is unfinished, articles of incorporation and documents showing the business will begin. Existing operations should also provide materials explaining history, officers, organization, business content, main clients, and transaction results where applicable.

3. Document the JPY 30 million business scale. Corporate applicants should make the paid-in capital or contributions clear through registration and financial documents. Individual operators should preserve evidence of business investment, including the office, employee wages, and equipment where relevant.

4. Hire and document the qualifying full-time employee. Confirm that the employee’s status makes them eligible for the core staff requirement. Prepare wage records, residence documentation, and other evidence needed to show actual full-time employment.

5. Secure an appropriate business office. Collect the lease, property registration material, or other proof of the office facility. Ensure the premises are suitable for the operation described in the plan and are not combined with the applicant’s home.

6. Prepare background evidence. Choose the academic-degree route or the experience route and gather the degree certificate or detailed résumé and employment certificates. If documents are in a foreign language, Immigration generally requires a Japanese translation, subject to its stated exceptions. Application notes.

7. Confirm Japanese-language evidence. Decide whether the applicant or an employee will satisfy the B2-equivalent requirement. Provide the appropriate test certificate, educational record, residence evidence, and wage evidence if the qualifying person is an employee.

8. Obtain the specialist’s business-plan evaluation. Submit a copy of the evaluated plan with the application. The official document list expressly requires a business plan assessed by a person with specialist management knowledge. Required-document list.

9. Address licences and permits. Where the proposed business needs authorization, submit proof that it has been obtained. If it cannot be obtained until after immigration permission for a legitimate reason, explain that reason; Immigration may check the authorization at the next extension. Official permit guidance.

Plan for compliance after approval

Extension documentation depends on the organization category. For Category 1 and Category 2 organizations, additional materials are in principle not required, while the published extension requirements for other categories include documents such as financial statements, evidence concerning the qualifying employee and Japanese ability, and materials concerning the organization’s public charges and taxes. Immigration may also request materials not listed on the page during its review. Extension document requirements.

The official guidance also warns that labour-law compliance, minimum wage compliance, social insurance, employment insurance, workers’ accident insurance, necessary permits, and payment obligations can affect extension decisions. A business with sound commercial results can still face an unfavorable outcome where these management obligations are not properly fulfilled. Official reform Q&A.

Existing Business Manager residents have transitional treatment. Until 16 October 2028, failure to meet the revised standards alone will not automatically result in extension refusal; Immigration considers business performance and the prospect of meeting the new standards. After that point, the revised standards generally apply, although Immigration says it may consider the overall situation where the business is doing well, taxes are properly paid, and compliance is expected by the next extension.

Key takeaway for 2026 applicants

The current 経営管理ビザ 要件 (keiei kanri biza yoken) are designed around a genuine, established Japanese business. You need to show more than an incorporated company and personal investment: a qualifying employee, business scale of JPY 30 million, a proper office, Japanese capability within the business, manager credentials, and a viable plan reviewed by an eligible specialist.

The strongest applications tell one consistent story. Your role, investment, employee, office, qualifications, plan, permits, and evidence should all show that you will personally and substantially manage a real business in Japan.

Common questions