Japan Tightens Business Visa Rules for Foreign Entrepreneurs

Japan has seen a sharp drop in applications for the "Business Manager" residence status visa, which is aimed at foreign entrepreneurs starting businesses in the country. According to a survey by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the number of applications fell by approximately 96% after the eligibility requirements were tightened in October of last year. The revision appears to have had some success in curbing the influx of foreigners who were misusing the system for purposes outside its intended scope.
Prior to the changes, there were an average of about 1,700 applications per month. Since the requirements were strengthened in October last year, this has dropped to an average of around 70 applications per month.
At a press conference on May 12, Minister of State for Economic Security Onoda, who oversees foreign policy, stated: "Concerns about misuse for immigration purposes have been dispelled to a certain extent, and the system is now operating more in line with its original objectives."Key Changes in the New Requirements

• Capital requirement: Raised to ¥30 million or more (six times the previous ¥5 million threshold).
• Employment obligation: Must hire at least one full-time Japanese national or permanent resident.
• Additional criteria: Japanese language proficiency, business experience, academic background, and other requirements were also added.

The goal of the tightening was to prevent the visa from being abused as a backdoor for immigration rather than genuine business activity (such as through paper companies with no real operations). The government views the dramatic decline in applications as evidence that the reforms are working as intended.Japanese Public Reactions on X (Translated)Here are some representative comments from Japanese users responding to the Yomiuri Online post:

• "This is not 'tightening' — it's normalization. The previous system was way too lax. What about the social security costs that were exploited by Chinese people abusing this visa? Are we just going to let that slide?" (High engagement)
• "Please tighten refugee application requirements too. Almost all of them are fake refugees. If you make it stricter, applications will plummet, and the Immigration Services Agency won't have to deal with nonsense anymore."
• "The number of applications dropped 96%, but that doesn't include the ones approved before the changes. We still need to review those! This isn't directly linked to the collapse of fake Chinese or Nepali restaurants, so be careful."
• "This alone is a reason to support the current administration."
• "How are people who can't even speak Japanese supposed to run a business here? It's common sense."
• "The visa was supposed to be for innovative businesses or high-income workers creating jobs — not an immigration route for running restaurants. We don't need more foreigners in sectors with labor shortages anyway."
• "This proves the system was being abused and exploited. Paper companies, zero sales, zero employees... True entrepreneurs might get caught up, but it can't be helped."
• "Even with these changes, it's still looser than in Australia or Singapore. People with real businesses won't have any problems."

Most reactions are supportive of the stricter rules, often calling for further reforms on existing visa holders, other immigration pathways, and stronger enforcement against abuses. A few voices worry about impacts on legitimate businesses or the economy, but they are in the minority.