May 25, 2026

Only 1% of business manager visa applications in Japan were denied between September 2023 and December 2024 on the grounds that applicants were suspected of not having actual business operations.

This was shown in the Tokyo Immigration Bureau’s data which the Immigration Services Agency on May 22 provided to Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councillors Nihi Sohei in regard to the issue of an increase in the capital requirement for “Management and Administration” visas (business manager visas) for foreign business owners.

The agency in October 2025 raised the capital requirement from the current five million yen to 30 million yen under the pretext of preventing fraudulent acquisition of business manager visas for purposes such as establishing shell companies with no actual business operations.

According to the data, between September 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024, the Tokyo Immigration Bureau received 25,987 applications for business manager visa renewals and changes. During the same period, the bureau investigated the business status of 327 suspicious applications and denied 303. This means that only 1% of foreign business owners do not have actual operations.

Nihi pointed out that the overwhelming majority of foreign nationals earn an honest living in Japan based on their appropriate status of residence, and stated that it is unacceptable for the government to incite exclusion through tightening capital requirements and increasing residence permit fees.

Past related article:
> Immigration Agency complains about fraud by self-employed foreigners, but it doesn’t know how many cases there are [May 14 & 16, 2026]