Founder visas,
mapped and
managed.
Aplash focuses on entrepreneurs, business owners, and company executives. For HSP and J-Skip, we support only the advanced business-management routes, alongside Business Manager and Startup Visa planning.
Founder fast-track PR eligibility → HSP(i)(c) / J-Skip management (1 year) · Lowest capital barrier → Startup Visa · Full business ownership → Business Manager Visa
Japan visa pathways for foreign professionals.
Each route is purpose-built for a specific profile. Compare the requirements, income thresholds, and permanent-residency timelines side by side.
Startup Visa
スタートアップHSP for Founders
高度専門職J-Skip for Founders
特別高度専門職J-Find Visa
未来創造人材Dependent Visa
家族滞在Which visa is right for you?
Japan's pathways are built for specific profiles. Three questions narrow the field — and if none apply, the free consultation is the right first step.
Are you starting or already operating a business in Japan?
Business Manager Visa if you can meet the ¥30M capital threshold and are ready to operate. Startup Visa if you need more preparation time — municipality-sponsored, no capital barrier.
Are you an experienced founder or company executive?
HSP(i)(c) may fit if your advanced business-management activity and documented profile reach 70+ points. J-Skip's business-management route may fit if you have 5+ years of management experience and at least ¥40M in annual remuneration. Aplash does not support the academic-research or technical-employment categories of either programme.
Have you recently graduated from a top-ranked university?
J-Find Visa gives you 2 years to find employment or test a startup idea in Japan, with no income requirement during the visa period.
Not sure where your profile fits?
A 30-minute consultation maps your background to the right pathway — and identifies the requirements that need structuring before you apply.
Why Aplash for immigration.
We sit at the intersection of company formation and immigration law — so the parts that block most applicants are the parts we're built to solve.
Cross-border regulatory fluency
Japan's October 2025 visa reforms changed the requirements in ways that catch most applicants off guard. We don't just fill forms — we structure your application around the new rules: certified business plans, staff arrangements, capital optimisation, and office compliance. Bilingual in law, not just language.
Incorporation + immigration, unified
Most firms separate the visa from company setup. We coordinate both as one project, with clear ownership across KK or GK formation, registered office, governance, and the licensed immigration work required for the application.
We solve the hard parts
Operating remotely without a Japan team? Can't meet ¥30M yet but want to start? Need Japanese-language operations but don't speak Japanese? We design compliant, case-specific support for the requirements that block most applicants.
Hong Kong · Osaka · Remote
On-the-ground support in Japan with coordination from Hong Kong and China. Your timezone, your language, your pace — we're set up to work the way you work.
Common questions, answered.
Visa types, the fastest PR route, the October 2025 reforms, and remote setup — the essentials before you choose.
What Japan visa types does Aplash support?
Our core work is founder and business-owner immigration: Business Manager Visa, Startup Visa planning, HSP(i)(c) advanced business management, and J-Skip advanced business management. For HSP and J-Skip, Aplash supports only founders and company executives; academic-research and technical-employment cases are outside our service scope. We also advise on linked family and case-specific residence matters for qualifying founder clients.
What is the fastest path to Permanent Residency in Japan?
A qualifying founder on J-Skip's advanced business-management route may become eligible to apply for PR after 1 year. Under HSP(i)(c), a qualifying founder or executive may apply after maintaining 80+ points for 1 year or 70–79 points for 3 years. PR is always a separate application and these periods do not guarantee approval.
What changed in the Business Manager Visa requirements in October 2025?
From October 2025: minimum capital increased to ¥30,000,000; at least one qualifying full-time employee is mandatory; a physical office is required; the applicant or an eligible full-time employee must document B2-equivalent Japanese capability; and the business plan must be certified by a licensed Japanese professional. Existing holders have a 3-year transitional period.
Can I set up a company and apply for a Japan visa remotely?
Many preparation steps can be coordinated from overseas, including document review, incorporation support, office arrangements, and preparation of a Certificate of Eligibility application. Identity checks, banking, signatures, entry, or case-specific immigration requests may still require the applicant's participation or presence.
Can I bring my family to Japan on a dependent visa?
Eligible spouses and children may apply for dependent status. A dependent spouse needs separate permission to work and is generally limited to 28 hours per week. HSP and J-Skip holders may have additional spouse provisions for specified professional activities, subject to their own conditions.
守秘を標準に
顧客名、書類、進行中の案件を公開の営業実績として使用しません。
契約前に範囲を明示
成果物、依存事項、意思決定者、対象外、資格専門家の役割を記載した書面のスコープと責任分担表をお渡しします。
資格業務は適切な専門家が担当
Aplashは戦略と進行を統括し、資格が必要な申請は日本の該当有資格者が行います。
From the journal.
Field notes on visas, residence status, and relocating to Japan, written by the team that handles the applications.
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Read articleWhich founder route fits your company?
Tell us about your management background, proposed role, remuneration, and Japan company plan. We will compare Business Manager, HSP(i)(c), and J-Skip's business-management route.
Contact us directly