Own your company in Japan.
The visa for founders and executives building a business in Japan, restructured under the October 2025 reform. We engineer your capital, staffing, office, and certified plan to clear every new condition.
Overnight, the minimum capital sextupled, and four new conditions now sit beside it. Meeting the money alone is no longer enough. This is exactly where most applications now fail.
Four conditions, all required.
The reform added four independent tests. They apply simultaneously: you cannot trade one for another, and the capital threshold no longer substitutes for any of them.
Full-time staff, now mandatory
At least one full-time employee must be hired, independently of the capital requirement. Only Japanese nationals, permanent residents, spouses of Japanese, or long-term residents qualify. Work-visa holders no longer count.
Operate in Japanese
The business must be capable of operating in Japanese. Either the representative or one full-time employee must hold practical Japanese ability sufficient for day-to-day affairs.
An expert-certified business plan
The plan must be reviewed and certified by a licensed Japanese professional: a Certified SME Consultant (中小企業診断士), CPA (公認会計士), or Licensed Tax Accountant (税理士). Self-prepared plans are no longer accepted.
A real, commercial office
Only an independent commercial office is accepted as the registered address. Residential addresses, home offices, and shared virtual offices are prohibited. A verifiable, dedicated workspace is required.
What it takes, and what you gain.
Clear the bar on every count, and the visa opens a defined path to long-term residency and citizenship.
Requirements
- Minimum ¥30,000,000 paid-in company capital (October 2025 revision)
- At least one full-time employee: a Japanese national, permanent resident, or long-term resident
- A physical, independent commercial office in Japan; home and virtual offices are no longer accepted
- Japanese-language operational capability: the representative or a full-time staff member
- A business plan certified by a licensed Japanese professional (SME consultant, CPA, or tax accountant)
Visa benefits
- 4-month, 1, 3, or 5-year validity, renewable on continued business activity
- Eligible to apply for Japanese Permanent Residency after 10 years
- Eligible to apply for Japanese citizenship after 5 years as a permanent resident
- Dependent visa for spouse and children; your spouse may work freely in Japan
Dependent visas are included in every Aplash Business Manager package. Your family relocates with you.
Plan to entry, in about nine months.
A disciplined four-stage process. Every municipality moves at its own pace; we hold the timeline together for you.
Business planning
Strategy, certified business plan, and capital structuring built around the new rules.
Registration & capital
Company registration (KK or GK), capital injection, seal creation, and office setup.
COE & review
Certificate of Eligibility filed and reviewed by the immigration bureau.
Issuance & entry
Visa issued at your consulate, followed by your first entry to Japan.
Renewal is earned, not assumed.
Immigration reviews each of these at every renewal to confirm the business is genuinely active and compliant.
Full tax compliance
Proof of complete payment of corporate, consumption, withholding, and resident tax.
Social & employment insurance
Payment records for both social insurance (社会保険) and employment insurance (雇用保険).
Continued Japan residency
Extended absences may cause denial; genuine, ongoing business activity must be shown.
Activity Details Statement
A formal statement (活動内容説明書) documenting operations since the last issuance, every renewal.
3-Year renewal bonus: three consecutive years of profitable operation may qualify you for a 3-year renewal instead of the standard one.
Already hold the visa? You have until 2028.
If you held a Business Manager Visa on October 16, 2025, a 3-year transitional period applies before full compliance is required.
Grace period begins
October 16, 2025. Existing holders are fully covered under the previous rules. No immediate action required.
Renewal under grace
Renewals may be approved even if the new requirements are not fully met, provided a concrete compliance plan is shown.
Full compliance
From this date, every new requirement must be satisfied at renewal without exception. Early preparation is strongly advised.
The reform breaks applications. That's our advantage.
Four new conditions now sink most do-it-yourself filings. Each one is a problem we're built to engineer around; here's exactly how.
The plan must now be certified by a licensed SME consultant, CPA, or tax accountant. Self-written plans are dead on arrival.
We certify it in-house.
Our own licensed professionals build and sign the business plan, not an outsourced stranger you'll never meet.
You can't park ¥30,000,000 in capital yet, but you're ready to start building now.
Start on a Startup Visa, convert when ready.
Municipality-sponsored, no capital barrier during the startup phase, then a clean transition to the Manager Visa.
The business must operate in Japanese, and you don't speak it.
A bilingual full-time hire satisfies the rule.
We place the qualifying staff and structure operations so the Japanese-language condition is met on day one.
Incorporation, office, tax, and the visa are four firms pointing fingers when something slips.
One firm. One engagement. Nothing stalls.
KK or GK formation, capital, registered office, and the COE filing run as a single project from Hong Kong and Osaka.
One fee. Both filings.
Choose your company structure; government fees, registration, and certified-seal registration are included. No hidden costs.
A simple, flexible structure for startups and small businesses. Includes visa application, company registration, and certified-seal registration fees.
Get a quoteA formal, widely recognised structure, ideal for larger businesses or long-term growth. Adds certification-related fees on top of the LLC scope.
Get a quoteOffice address (local, or Osaka / Tokyo / Fukuoka), a priority fast-track package with business-plan consultation, and family visa applications.
Get a quotePricing shown in USD for reference; HK$ and CNY rates also available. Notarization fees are excluded. Government fees and taxes are pass-through at cost.
Business Manager Visa FAQ.
The October 2025 reform, validity and renewal, family, and how we support the application.
Who is eligible for the Business Manager Visa?
Foreign entrepreneurs or business owners planning to establish or manage a business in Japan. Core requirements as of October 2025: a physical commercial office in Japan, minimum ¥30M capital, at least one full-time local employee, Japanese-language operational capability, and an expert-certified business plan.
What changed in the October 2025 revision?
The October 16, 2025 reform introduced major new requirements: capital raised from ¥5M to ¥30M; at least one full-time employee (Japanese national, permanent resident, or long-term resident) is now independently mandatory; Japanese-language operational capability is required; the business plan must be certified by a licensed professional; and home-office addresses are prohibited, only independent commercial offices are accepted. Existing holders have a 3-year grace period until October 16, 2028.
How long is the visa valid and can it be renewed?
The visa is granted for 4 months, 1, 3, or 5 years. Renewal requires proof of full tax payment, social and employment insurance contributions, an Activity Details Statement, and maintained office continuity. Three consecutive years of profitable operation may qualify you for a 3-year renewal.
Can I bring my family with this visa?
Yes. Your spouse and children can join under a dependent visa. Your spouse may work freely in Japan without a separate work permit, and your children can attend local schools.
How can Aplash support my application?
End-to-end support: business planning, company registration (LLC or KK), physical office setup, notarization, document preparation, visa filing, and translation. Our on-the-ground team in Japan, coordinated from Hong Kong and China, ensures a smooth, stress-free approval.
Start with a Startup Visa.
Municipality-sponsored, with no capital barrier during the startup phase, then transition to the Business Manager Visa once you're ready to operate.
Enquire about the Startup VisaConsider the HSP Visa.
If you're a senior executive or high-earning professional, the points-based HSP route can reach permanent residency far faster, in as little as one year.
Explore the HSP VisaFrom the journal.
Field notes on visas, residence status, and relocating to Japan, written by the team that handles the applications.
View all articlesHSP Visa - Fast-Track to Permanent Residency
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From the certified business plan to your first day of operations, we handle the company and the visa as one engagement.
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