Relocating to Japan can be a transformative move for overseas executives and investors, especially if you don’t have or know the visa options for Japan. Japan offers a dynamic business environment set against a backdrop of economic stability, rich culture, and high quality of life.
This guide aids business leaders. Japan is a potential destination. It covers visa options for Japan, long-term residency, business advantages and relocation advice. These will be three articles.
Visa Options for Japan: Foreign Business Leaders & Investors
Japan has several visa pathways tailored to entrepreneurs, remote workers, and business investors. The three primary options are the Digital Nomad Visa, the Startup Visa, and the Business Manager Visa. Each has distinct eligibility criteria, benefits, and limitations. Below is a comparison of these visas, highlighting what foreign business leaders should consider for each, when considering visa options for Japan.
Digital Nomad Visa
Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa is for remote work. It’s a short-term residency, which began in 2024. Foreigners can stay six months. This visa does not allow local Japan employment. The visa lets foreigners test life in Japan. It allows remote work in Japan’s time zone. It requires no long commitments.
Eligibility & Key Requirements:
- Must be from an approved country (e.g. U.S., Canada, most of Europe, Australia, Singapore, etc.)
- Remote income threshold: Proof of annual income over JPY 10 million (≈USD 65,000). This higher income requirement ensures applicants can support themselves.
- Health insurance: Private coverage with at least JPY 10 million in coverage for medical and accident expenses.
- Duration: 6 months non-extendable (though one can reapply after leaving Japan for 6 months).
- (Optional) Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to streamline the visa process, though not mandatory.
Benefits:
- Quick entry to Japan for up to half a year without company sponsorship.
- Opportunity to experience Japan’s business climate and lifestyle on a trial basis.
- Can bring spouse and children under accompanying dependent status (with proof of relationship and adequate income).
- No need to establish a Japanese entity or invest capital for this visa.
Limitations:
- No local employment allowed (income must come from abroad) .
- Not renewable beyond 6 months – a cooling-off period abroad is required before reapplying.
- No direct path to long-term residency or permanent residence (unlike some countries’ digital nomad visas).
- High income bars may exclude early-stage entrepreneurs or startup founders without steady income.
Key Considerations
The Digital Nomad Visa best suits executives who wish to work remotely and explore Japan’s environment before making larger commitments. It’s a low-risk way to build networks, research markets, and assess living conditions in Japan. However, those aiming to establish a business in Japan will eventually need to transition to a different visa for long-term stay, when considering visa options for Japan.
Startup Visa
Japan’s Startup Visa program is a stepping-stone residency designed to attract foreign entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. It temporarily relaxes the stringent requirements of the Business Manager Visa, giving founders time to set up operations. Major recent changes have expanded and extended the startup visa program nationwide, which specific municipalities traditionally issued for 6 months to 1 year. As of 2025, Japan offers a nationwide Startup Visa for up to 2 years, reflecting the government’s push to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, when considering visa options for Japan.
Eligibility & Key Requirements:
- Business plan approval: Applicant must present a viable business plan to a supporting local government or program. The plan should show how the business will meet the standard visa requirements (capital, hiring) by the end of the startup period.
- Local sponsorship: Must apply in a participating city or region (over 26 local governments participate, including Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, etc.). Local authorities or accelerators often sponsor and monitor progress.
- Duration: Typically 6 months initially (some regions 1 year); now extendable up to 2 years nationwide under new rules. Extensions are contingent on progress made (e.g. establishing a company, opening an office).
- Reduced investment requirement (temporary): Unlike the Business Manager visa, no immediate need for ¥5 million capital or 2 employees at the start. These will be required by the end of the startup visa period.
- Commitment to incorporate in Japan: Founder is expected to register a company (e.g. KK or GK corporation) during the Startup Visa period. Often a local address and bank account are needed.
- Support agreement: Many programs require founders to check in with mentors or officials regularly and avail themselves of business support services.
Benefits:
- Lower initial barriers: Waives the heavy upfront investment and hiring requirements. This gives entrepreneurs breathing room to set up the business infrastructure.
- Dedicated support: Access to local government startup support centers. Which may help with finding office space, opening bank accounts, networking, and coaching. Some cities offer free co-working space or subsidies for company registration fees.
- Networking opportunities: Being in a startup visa program often plugs entrepreneurs into a community of other startups, investors, and mentors. For example, Fukuoka and Shibuya have tight-knit startup ecosystems where founders can learn from each other.
- Pathway to Business Manager Visa: The majority of entrepreneurs who start on a Startup Visa successfully transition to a long-term Business Manager status if their business becomes viable. (By May 2024, over 359 Startup Visa holders had graduated to Business Manager visas, indicating successful business establishment.
- Flexibility: If the business concept needs pivoting or if goals aren’t met, the founder can exit at the end of the visa period without the larger sunk costs required by a full business visa.
Limitations:
- Temporary status: The Startup Visa is a one-time provisional visa. By itself, it does not allow long-term residency; the founder must meet the conditions to switch to a Business Manager (or other) visa by expiration. Failure to do so could mean leaving Japan.
- Progress monitoring: Local authorities usually require periodic progress reports (e.g. updates every 2 months) and can revoke support if the entrepreneur is not making reasonable efforts. There is pressure to meet milestones (company incorporation, capital procurement, etc.) within a short time frame.
- Geographic ties: The visa is tied to a specific city/prefecture program. The founder is expected to establish the business in that locale, which may limit flexibility in choosing business location (though the new nationwide program may broaden this).
- Uncertainty: The need to secure customers, funding, or other business targets within 6-12 months can be challenging. Extensions are not guaranteed unless the business shows promise, so there is some risk if plans are delayed.
Key Considerations
The Startup Visa suits foreign entrepreneurs. They have a solid business idea. They want to build in Japan. It offers a trial period. Learn Japanese business. Test the market. Gather resources. Executives should use this time. Meet Business Manager Visa rules. Finish incorporation. Invest capital. Get clients or partners. The 2-year extension helps founders. It gives them more time. The Startup Visa reduces financial risk. It gives a grace period to start.
Business Manager Visa
The Business Manager Visa (経営・管理ビザ) is Japan’s standard work visa for foreign business owners, company directors, or investors who manage a business in Japan. It is a long-term residency status that enables one to live in Japan while running or overseeing a company. Compared to the other visas, the Business Manager Visa has the most stringent upfront requirements, but it also offers the most stability and benefits for those committed to operating in Japan. It is the most robust of the visa options for Japan.
Eligibility & Key Requirements:
- Company establishment: The applicant must either establish a new company in Japan or manage an existing business as a senior executive or owner. A legal entity (such as a KK or GK corporation) in Japan is required.
- Capital or Funding: The business must have a minimum paid-in capital of ¥5,000,000 JPY (approximately USD $35,000) per manager. Alternatively, instead of personal investment, the company can show it has at least two full-time employees who are Japanese citizens or long-term residents in Japan. This requirement demonstrates the business has sufficient substance and financial backing.
- Physical office: The company must have a dedicated office space in Japan (a registered business address that is not a residence). Proof such as office lease contracts and photos may be required in the visa application.
- Viable business plan: A detailed business plan or company profile should be submitted, showing the nature of the business, financial projections, and how it will be run. Immigration authorities will assess the credibility and stability of the business – including its projected balance sheet, industry type, and likelihood of success.
- Executive salary/income: The applicant should demonstrate they have or will earn sufficient income to live in Japan without financial difficulty. Essentially, the company should be able to pay the manager a reasonable salary.
- Experience: While not strictly codified, it helps if the applicant has prior business management experience or expertise in the industry, to give immigration confidence in their capability (this can also factor into a Highly Skilled Professional evaluation, discussed below).
- Certificate of Eligibility: Typically, one must obtain a COE for the Business Manager status, which involves submitting incorporation documents, capital proof, office lease, etc., to immigration in Japan, then applying for the visa at a Japanese consulate.
Benefits:
- Long-term residency: The Business Manager Visa is usually granted for 1 year (sometimes 2 or 3 years) initially and can be renewed indefinitely as long as the business remains compliant. This provides a stable status to live and work in Japan continuously.
- Business operations: Visa holders can legally work in and manage their Japanese company, hire staff, and engage in income-generating activities in Japan (which the Startup or Nomad visas don’t permit to the same extent).
- Family sponsorship: Business Managers can sponsor Dependent (Family) Visas for their spouse and children to live in Japan. Family members can then access Japan’s education and healthcare systems.
- Pathway to Permanent Residency: Time spent on a Business Manager status counts toward the requirement for permanent residence in Japan (generally 10 years of residence, or faster if qualifying under Highly Skilled Professional criteria). In fact, successful business owners often become eligible for PR, which grants indefinite stay and greater freedom (no need for visa renewals).
- Quality of life & services: As a long-term resident, one can enroll in Japan’s national health insurance and pension systems, open local bank accounts freely, and enjoy the full benefits of living in Japan (housing rentals, etc.) which are easier with a long-term visa.
- Upgrade to Highly Skilled Professional (HSP): A Business Manager may qualify for Japan’s points-based HSP visa if they have a high salary, education, and business success. Achieving HSP status can fast-track permanent residency to as short as 1–3 years. This is an option for those who meet criteria (e.g., advanced degrees, significant achievements or high income in Japan).
Limitations:
- High entry requirements: The need for ¥5 million capital investment and a rented office prior to visa approval means a significant upfront commitment of money and effort. For many entrepreneurs, this is a hurdle unless they have secured funding. The business plan must be well-prepared and sometimes incorporating a company requires hiring legal professionals – all before the visa is granted.
- Ongoing compliance: Once in Japan, the business must remain operational and preferably profitable. Immigration examines company financials at renewal. If a company reports continuous losses or becomes dormant, visa renewals may be denied. Initially, renewals were often only one year, putting pressure on startups to produce results quickly, though there are improvements in flexibility.
- Administrative overhead: Running a business in Japan involves bureaucratic procedures – regular tax filings, social insurance payments for any employees, possible language barriers in paperwork – which can be burdensome. Failure to maintain proper corporate governance, tax compliance, or to pay oneself a livable salary could jeopardize the visa.
- No remote work for others: The Business Manager visa ties you to your company. You cannot easily take up side employment at another Japanese company or work outside the scope of managing your business (unless you obtain separate work permission). It is a commitment to that business venture.
- Cost: Besides capital, office rent in Japan (especially Tokyo) is expensive, and hiring staff triggers labor law obligations. The financial overhead can be high while the business is still ramping up.
Key Considerations
The Business Manager Visa is the end goal for executives intending to permanently establish themselves in Japan’s business landscape. It offers the most robust residency privileges, but also requires the most preparation. Ensure you have a sound business plan and sufficient capital. It’s wise to seek local legal and accounting advice when setting up the company to meet all criteria (e.g. drafting articles of incorporation, registering address). Many entrepreneurs first use a Startup Visa or other route to build up to this visa, unless they are ready to invest at scale from the outset. Once obtained, the Business Manager status allows you to fully immerse in Japan’s economy, with the potential to grow your enterprise and even attain permanent residence over time.
Looking For Visa Options for Japan?
Email us and we may be able to help you get in to contact to get these visas. Stay tuned for part two on how to turn a short-term visa to long-term residency in Japan
