If you are reading an article about this visa written before late 2025, throw it away. The Ministry of Justice promulgated an amended ordinance on 10 October 2025 and it took effect on 16 October 2025. It is not a tweak — the central number went up sixfold.
What changed
| Requirement | Before | From 16 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Capital or investment | ¥5 million | ¥30 million |
| Employees | Alternative to capital | At least one full-time employee, required |
| Japanese language | No requirement | Roughly JLPT N2 / CEFR B2, for the applicant or a full-time employee |
| Experience | No general requirement | 3 years management or business experience, or a relevant master's degree |
The employee change is easy to underestimate. Under the old rules capital and staffing were alternatives — you could satisfy the test with money alone. Now you need both, and the employee must be genuinely full-time.
Why it happened
The visa had become a route with weak scrutiny — companies formed with the minimum capital, little real trading, and the status renewed. The reform is aimed at that, which also tells you how applications are now being read: the question is whether there is a real business here, not whether the paperwork adds up.
If you already hold it
There is a transition. For existing Business Manager holders — and Highly Skilled Professional (i)(c) holders — who do not meet the new criteria, extension applications filed between 16 October 2025 and 16 October 2028 are decided on the state of the business and the prospect of meeting the new criteria, rather than refused outright.
After that window, extensions must satisfy the amended criteria in full.
What an application needs to show
- Capital of ¥30 million, evidenced and traceable to a lawful source. Expect the origin of funds to be examined.
- A secured business premises. A registered address at a virtual office has long been treated sceptically and is weaker still now.
- At least one full-time employee, with the employment documented.
- A business plan that is specific about the market, the revenue model and the funding.
- Language evidence for yourself or the qualifying employee.
- Experience evidence — employment history, or the degree.
Alternatives worth considering
The higher bar makes the neighbouring routes more attractive:
- Startup visa programmes run by designated municipalities and prefectures give a preparation period to build towards Business Manager status. Local rules vary considerably.
- Highly Skilled Professional, if you score on the points table, carries better conditions and a faster path to permanent residency.
- Engineer / Specialist in Humanities if the work is genuinely specialist rather than managerial — including running your own operation in some structures.
Practical advice
This is the status where using a qualified immigration lawyer (行政書士 or 弁護士) stops being optional. The criteria are now discretionary in places, the transition rules are date-sensitive, and a refusal is expensive in a way a mistake on a work visa is not.
Verify the current requirements directly with the Immigration Services Agency before acting. This area moved sharply once and the reason it moved has not gone away.
The phrases
- 経営管理ビザの申請をしたいです。 — Keiei kanri biza no shinsei o shitai desu. — I would like to apply for the Business Manager visa.
- 新しい要件を満たしていますか。 — Atarashii yōken o mitashite imasu ka? — Do I meet the new requirements?
Where to confirm this
- Immigration Services Agency
- Our guide to the Highly Skilled Professional visa
- Our guide to permanent residency
Guides are dated rather than undated: last reviewed 21 August 2026. This is an organisational aid, not legal or immigration advice — always confirm anything consequential with your ward office, the Immigration Services Agency, or a qualified professional.