Japan Raises Business Visa Capital 6-Fold to 30 Million Yen as Applications Plunge 96%

3 articles · Updated · tokyopaladin.substack.com · Jun 11

Only 4% of Japan’s business manager visa holders meet the new 30 million yen capital threshold, leaving many foreign small-business owners scrambling to keep residency.
The revised rules also require a full-time Japanese or permanent-resident employee, near-native Japanese ability, and three years’ management experience or a master’s-equivalent degree.
Applications have fallen to about 70 a month from roughly 1,700 since the changes were announced in October 2025, while renewals have become less predictable for owners who also cook, clean and serve.
Authorities say the crackdown targets shell-company abuse after a Kanagawa case tied one Sri Lankan national to about 600 paper firms and suspected illegal work by around 1,000 people.
More than 67,000 people signed a petition against the threshold, underscoring fears that Japan’s broader push for “zero illegal foreigners” is squeezing legitimate immigrant-run businesses such as 5,000 Indo-Nepalese restaurants.

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