May 14 & 16, 2026

It has come to light that despite raising the capital requirement for “Management and Administration” visas for foreign business owners from the current five million yen to 30 million yen under the pretext of preventing fraudulent acquisitions, the government has no data on the actual number of fraudulent cases.

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Nihi Sohei, at a meeting of the House of Councillors Judicial Affairs Committee on May 14, asked the Immigration Services Agency, “Do you have any data on the number of cases of fraud involving foreign business owners?”

A senior agency official replied, “We do not maintain statistics on the number of cases of fraud, such as those involving dummy companies.”

The “Management and Administration” visa, often referred to as the business manager visa, is a residence status granted to foreign nationals conducting business in Japan, such as retail, restaurant, translation service, and money transfer service. Most of these are micro-enterprises. Last October, the capital requirement for obtaining this status was increased sixfold.

Nihi pointed out that a significant number of foreign-owned restaurants are facing closure as a result. He also cited the case of a foreign national who entered Japan on a business manager visa and is now being forced to leave the country because his visa renewal was denied due to delays in obtaining a construction business license caused by a shortage of construction materials.

Nihi stated, “It is unreasonable for the immigration authorities to deny an extension of residency status due to circumstances beyond the individual’s control.” While acknowledging the need for countermeasures against shell companies with no actual business operations, he criticized the government for unilaterally tightening requirements without compiling any statistical data.

On May 13, a civic rally took place in the Diet building to urge the government not to expel foreign business owners who have been conducting their business honestly from Japan. JCP member of the House of Councillors Yamazoe Taku took part in this rally.

A man who ran an Indian restaurant said that he must leave Japan by May 22 because his business manager visa renewal was denied.

In tears, the man added, “Even my children, who were born in Japan and speak only Japanese, are being forced to leave for India. My daughter, who is in her final year of high school, is crying.” He continued, “I struggled with the language and cultural differences, but I’ve been able to run my business thanks to the constant support from my friends, the local Chamber of Commerce, and my customers. I even bought a house. We’ve always followed Japan’s rules. And yet, the government is telling us to leave.”