Japan Business Manager visa capital: a plan written before 16 October 2025 asks for a sixth of what is now required

Since 16 October 2025 the capital shown above is six times the old minimum, and it now comes with a full-time hire, a Japanese-language condition and an expert check of your business plan. A plan or price built on the old rules prepares an application that fails today's standards.

A plan or fee quote drawn up before mid-October 2025 may be written to rules that no longer apply. Applications the Immigration Services Agency received before 16 October 2025 are judged on the old standards; new applications since then must meet the new ones. Pay no setup fee for a plan aimed at the old figure.

What the new standards ask

• Capital. For a company, its paid-in capital. For a sole trader, the total put into the business, counting the office, a year of staff wages and equipment.
• A full-time employee. At least one: a Japanese national, a special permanent resident, a permanent resident, the spouse or child of a Japanese national or of a permanent resident, or a long-term resident.
• Japanese. You or a full-time employee must have upper-intermediate Japanese, shown for example by a JLPT N2 pass or a BJT score of at least 400.
• Background. Three years running a business, or a relevant master's, doctoral or professional degree.
• A checked plan. A qualified expert, such as a certified SME consultant, a certified public accountant or a licensed tax accountant, must confirm the business plan, except for a business on the scale of a listed company.

The agency's guideline adds that a home normally cannot double as the office.

If you already hold this status

Renewals filed by 16 October 2028 can still be granted to holders who fall short, judged on how the business is doing and whether it will meet the new standards. After that date a renewal must meet them, with a case-by-case allowance for a sound business that pays its taxes and is expected to comply by its next renewal. The same guideline says permanent residence is not granted from this status to anyone below the new standards. Someone planning to stay for good needs the new capital and the hire budgeted now.

Who gets paid what

The state's own charges are small: the visa fee shown above, or for someone already in Japan, a change-of-status fee that since 1 October 2026 depends on the length of stay granted. Company formation, the plan, the expert's confirmation, the office lease and the application paperwork are firms' prices. The guideline warns that anyone other than a lawyer or a licensed administrative scrivener who prepares the papers for a fee may be breaking the law.

Put these to the firm:

1. Which date's rules was this plan or quote written for?
2. Who is the full-time employee, and which qualifying status do they hold?
3. Which qualified expert confirms the business plan, and is that kind of expert on the agency's list?
4. Is the person preparing the papers a lawyer or a licensed administrative scrivener?

Company-setup packages and visa firms' fee quotes for this route are what the box below checks: say yes first, and each line is set against the Immigration Services Agency's published rules and the prices firms on file publish for this route. With nothing in writing, say no and enter the capital you plan to put in. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.