Business Manager (経営・管理) Visa

Japan's work visa for foreign founders, investors, and senior managers who run a business in Japan. It splits into two activity profiles: Management (経営). Founders, directors, owner-operators with ownership stake. And Administration (管理). Senior managers without ownership, typically requiring 3+ years prior management experience.

After the October 2025 reform: at least ¥30 million paid into the Japanese company. The previous ¥5 million threshold is no longer valid for new applications. The previous 2-employee alternative was also eliminated. Capital is now mandatory, AND a full-time JP / PR / spouse-of-Japanese employee is also required on top. Existing visa holders have a transition period (see the grace-period section above).

Yes. Immigration's office requirement has been increasingly strict since 2023-2024. A virtual office address, mail-forwarding service, or pure home office is typically rejected. The expectation is a dedicated commercial space with a lease in the company's name and signage. Co-working / shared offices are case-by-case and increasingly flagged.

A credible 3-5 year plan with market analysis, organizational chart, hiring roadmap, and financial projections. Revenue assumptions need to tie to documented market data. Expense lines (salaries, rent, marketing) must be realistic. Boilerplate or AI-generated plans without specifics are flagged. Paper-company suspicion is the leading rejection cause.

Management (経営) covers founders, directors, and owner-operators with a substantial ownership stake or board role. Administration (管理) covers senior managers running a business unit without ownership: typically a country manager, GM, or senior administrator hired in to run an existing business. Administration (管理) applications need 3+ years of prior management experience documented with employment certificates.

Typically 1 year for new businesses (less than 2-3 years operating history), then 3 or 5 years on renewal once the company has financial track record. Renewal evaluation looks at: tax filings, payroll records, actual office occupancy, employee count, and revenue against the original business plan.

Yes. Spouse and children can apply for the standard dependent visa (家族滞在). Spouse can work up to 28 hours per week with 資格外活動 permission. For full-time spouse work, the principal would need to qualify for 高度専門職 (HSP) with 70+ points.

Yes. Common path: 技人国 holder establishes a side business and accumulates capital, then files an in-Japan status change once the business meets the requirements. The change application uses 在留資格変更許可申請 (¥4,000 stamp duty). The same capital + office + business plan standards apply as for new CoEs.

経営・管理 is a standard work visa with concrete business requirements (capital, office, employees). HSP 1号ハ is points-based with the perks (5-year visa, fast PR, spouse work, parent invite). Both apply to executives/founders. Common pattern: start on 経営・管理, switch to HSP 1号ハ once enough points are accumulated.

Yes. Standard PR after 10 years of continuous residence (5 working). Faster paths via 高度専門職: 70+ points → 3 years; 80+ points → 1 year. Many founders accumulate HSP points through salary growth and switch to 高度専門職 1号ハ before applying for PR.

Borrowed capital is permitted but faces extra scrutiny. The applicant needs to document the loan source (typically a relative or a foreign bank), the repayment terms, and that the funds genuinely entered the Japanese company. Loans from anonymous or unverifiable sources are a frequent rejection trigger.

Most 経営・管理 rejections trace to (1) office substance issues (virtual / shared / non-dedicated), (2) capital source unverifiable, (3) business plan not credible, or (4) for the Administration (管理) profile: insufficient prior management experience evidence. There is no formal appeal: fix the gap and re-file. For complex cases, a 行政書士 specializing in 経営・管理 filings is the most efficient remedy.

The October 16, 2025 reform was the largest 経営・管理 overhaul in the visa's history. Five substantive changes: (1) capital floor raised from ¥5M to ¥30M (six-fold increase); (2) at least 1 full-time JP / PR / spouse-of-Japanese employee now mandatory ON TOP of capital (no longer an alternative); (3) applicant must hold a Master's degree OR have 3+ years business management experience; (4) Japanese language requirement at CEFR B2 / JLPT N2 for the applicant or for an executive officer; (5) office-substance review codified, and independent expert review of the business plan may be requested for new filings. See the dedicated 2025 reform section at the top of this page.

Visas issued before October 16, 2025 remain valid until their stated expiry. The transition: your first renewal after the reform date can typically be filed under the old rules (¥5M capital, 2-employee alternative, no education / language requirement). The second renewal after the reform date must meet the new rules in full. This effectively gives existing holders 3-5 years to scale capital and operations to the new ¥30M floor, depending on the renewal cycle. ISA has signalled that progress toward the new standards (capital increases, additional hires) is viewed favorably during interim renewals.

Yes, immediately. Status changes from 技人国 / HSP / other visas to 経営・管理 filed on or after October 16, 2025 are evaluated under the new rules in full. There is no transition carve-out for status changes. The ¥30M capital, mandatory full-time employee, education / experience, and Japanese language requirements all apply from day one.