The Immigration Office announced detailed information today regarding the amendment to the requirements and criteria for the Business Manager (BM) visa status. The new rules will take effect on 16 October 2025.
The previous requirements will continue to apply to applications submitted on or before 15 October 2025, while applications submitted on or after 16 October 2025 must meet the new requirements.
Below are the basic information on the amendment:
Content of the amendment
Major requirements and criteria after the amendment
- Employment of at least one full-time employee
At least one full-time employee is required. The employee must be a Japanese national, or a foreign national holding one of the following visa statuses: Permanent Resident (PR), Spouse or Child of Japanese, Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident, or Long-term Resident (Teiju-sha). - Amount of capital: JPY 30 million or more
The business must have a capital of at least JPY 30 million. This can be checked on documents such s the Certificate of Company Registration. - Proficiency in the Japanese language
The applicant or one of the full-time employees must meet one of the following conditions:- Be a Japanese national or a Special Permanent Resident (特別永住者)
- Have passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at Level N2 or higher
- Have scored 400 points or more on the Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT)
- Have lived in Japan for 20 years or more continuously as a Residence Card holder
- Have graduated from a Japanese university or an equivalent educational institution
- Have completed Japanese compulsory education and graduated from a high school
- Educational background or work experience
The applicant must meet one of the following conditions:- Have obtained a Doctor’s, Master’s, or Professional degree in business management or in a related field to the business he/she plans to manage or operate
- Have at least 3 years of work experience in business management
- [At the time of COE application or Change of Visa Status application] Confirmation of the business plan by a certified professional
The “professional” mentioned here must be one of the following:- Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant (中小企業診断士)
- Certified Public Accountant (公認会計士)
- Certified Tax Accountant (税理士)
Remark regarding applications after the date of amendment
- Contents of the business operation
Businesses that are mainly operated through outsourcing or subcontracting cannot be considered as a business management activities. - Physical office
In general, a home office does not meet the requirements. - Eligibility for Permanent Resident Application
For a Permanent Resident application or an application for a Change of Visa to HSP2, the applicant (either a Business Manager visa holder or an HSP-c visa holder) must satisfy the new requirements. - Long-term absence from Japan during the period of stay
Long-term absence from Japan without any reasonable grounds is subject to inactive of the business and cause the denial of an Extension of Period of Stay (Visa Renewal) Application. - Enrollment and payment of Japanese social insurance and taxes as a corporate or business entity
When applying for an Extension of Period of Stay, it must be confirmed that the applicant has enrolled in and paid Japanese social insurance (including labor insurance, employment insurance, and industrial accident compensation insurance) and all corporate or business taxes, as a corporate or business entity. - Business Licenses
Applicant must provide documents showing the process of their business license application. If the license cannot be obtained or submitted without holding any visa status, an explanation letter describing the circumstances must be submitted. In such case, the Immigration Office will check the license at the time of the next visa renewal.
Visa Renewal of Business Manager or HSP-c visa holders who obtained their visa under the previous requirements and criteria.
For visa renewal applications submitted on or before 16 October 2028, the applicants do not always need to fully meet the new requirements. The Immigration Office will consider each case based on the applicant’s current business situation and how it is expected to meet the new requirements and criteria.
Check the detailed information: The Immigration Office Official Webpage
For detailed information on the new requirements effective from 16 October 2025, visit the Immigration Office’s official webpage below:
- Immigration Office – “Revision of the Ministerial Ordinance on Landing Standards for the Status of Residence ‘Business Manager’ 在留資格「経営・管理」に係る上陸基準省令等の改正について” (You can change the language using the language selection panel on the webpage. )
Please note that some information on our website may still refer to the previous requirements before the amendment. We are currently updating the content, and it may take some time to complete. We apologize for any inconvenience.
As a professional firm, like others in our field, we have not been officially advised or informed by the Immigration Office regarding the new requirements for the Business Manager visa. Therefore, at this time, the information we can provide is limited to what is publicly available on the Immigration Office website. Thank you for your understanding.