Japan Business Manager Visa Renewal Guide (2025 Reform)

Already in Japan with a Business Manager Visa?

What the 2025 Reform Means for Your Next Renewal

This guide explains how the reform effective October 16, 2025 impacts:

• Business Manager renewals

• Compliance obligations during your stay

• What must be prepared before 2028

📌 For new applicants, see the separate guide:
“Japan’s Business Manager Visa Overhaul (Effective Oct 16, 2025)”

1️⃣ Big picture: You are not “safe for 3 years”

If you are already living in Japan with a Business Manager visa, this article tells you exactly what to prepare for your future renewals — and how to avoid unexpected refusal.

From 16 October 2025, the Immigration Services Agency introduces much stricter standards:

• 1+ full-time employee
  (Japanese / Special Permanent Resident / or certain Table-II status foreign nationals such as PR, Spouse of Japanese, etc.)

• 30 million yen business scale
  (Paid-in capital / total investment)

• B2 Japanese ability
  (either by the applicant or a full-time employee)

• Degree or 3+ years management experience

• Business plan reviewed by an expert
  (SME consultant / CPA / Licensed Tax Accountant)

• Home-office no longer acceptable
  (Independent office required)

There is a 3-year transition period for people who already hold Business Manager status.

👉 But this does not mean:

“I can ignore everything for 3 years and fix it later.”

Renewal checks are already becoming stricter.

2️⃣ Timeline: How the new rules apply to existing visa holders

(1) Applications filed before 16 Oct 2025

→ Examined under the old standards
→ Future renewals after 2028 must meet new standards

(2) Renewals filed between 16 Oct 2025 – 16 Oct 2028

• Renewal may be approved even if you do not yet meet all new standards

• Review focuses on:

  • Business activity & substance

  • Progress toward 30M scale & hiring

  • Realistic plan to meet new standards by next renewal

👉 “Grace period with strict monitoring”

(3) Renewals filed after 16 Oct 2028

New standards become mandatory

• 30M business scale

• 1+ eligible full-time employee

• B2 Japanese

• Degree/experience

• Office appropriate to the scale

• Full compliance with taxes & insurances

If not satisfied → renewal refusal is very likely

Permanent Residency / HSFP upgrades based on Business Manager will also become difficult.

3️⃣ What has already changed (even before 2028)

At renewals now, ISA examines:

✔ Real management substance

Not only outsourcing or unclear business activity

✔ Office

Home-office setup → in principle no longer accepted

✔ Public dues compliance

• Labor insurance

• Social insurance (if mandatory)

• All national & local taxes

Missing enrollment/payment = major negative factor

✔ Long stay outside Japan

More than half of stay outside Japan → renewal risk

4️⃣ Three dangerous misunderstandings

👉 Waiting until the last moment = very dangerous

5️⃣ What to start doing now – Practical checklist

(A) Capital / 30M scale plan

Corporation: consider investment increase
Sole proprietor: show actual investment documents

(B) Hiring plan

Where does the first full-time employee fit in the timeline?

(C) Japanese ability

Decide who satisfies B2 (you or employee) and gather proof

(D) Degree / experience

Collect diplomas / certificates / employment records

(E) Office improvement

Move away from home-office model

(F) Dues compliance

Correct any social insurance or tax issues now

(G) Travel records

Avoid majority overseas stays without solid justification

6️⃣ Renewal documents: What you will actually need

Business Manager renewals now require:

Basic documents

• Renewal application form

• Photo

• Passport & Residence Card

Business documents

Corporation:

• Financial statements

• Commercial registry

• Licenses/permissions
  Sole proprietor:

• Tax returns / P&L

• Evidence of actual investment

Category documents

(Category 1–4 classification based on company type)

Employment / Japanese ability evidence

• Full-time employee proof (contract, payslips)

• B2/N2 proof (N2, BJT, school history)

Personal tax evidence

• Resident tax certificates (living city/ward)

Public dues (very important)

• Labor insurance enrollment & payments

• Social insurance enrollment & payments (if mandatory)
  or written explanation if exempt

• National/local tax payment certificates

Official reference downloads

Required Documents for Renewal
▶ Immigration Services Agency Official List (PDF)

7️⃣ FAQ for current Business Manager holders

Q1. My capital is below 30M. Can I still renew?

During the 3-year transition period (until 16 October 2028), renewal may still be approved even if you do not yet reach the 30M scale, as long as:

• your business is actually running and reasonably stable, and

• Immigration can see a realistic plan to meet the new standards.

However, after 16 October 2028, the new criteria become the baseline for renewals.

For capital / scale, the official Q&A clarifies:

• Corporations (companies)

  • “30M business scale” means paid-in capital / total investment only.

  • You cannot add employee salaries, rent, or other running costs to reach 30M.

  • Capital reserves, capital surplus, and retained earnings do not count as “business property used for the activity”.

  • If you manage several companies, at least one company must independently have capital of 30M or more. You cannot simply add up multiple small companies.

• Sole proprietors

  • You must prove that the total amount actually invested for:

    • securing the office (deposit, key money, rent),

    • one year of salaries for employees, and

    • equipment and other business assets
      reaches 30M yen or more.

  • Immigration will look at your latest financial statements and, if necessary, receipts and invoices showing these investments.

👉 So:

• Until 16 Oct 2028: You may renew below 30M if your business is active and your plan toward 30M is credible.

• After 16 Oct 2028: Reaching the 30M scale (company capital or proven total investment for sole proprietors) becomes essential for renewal.

Q2. Can my Japanese (or bilingual) employee cover the B2 requirement – and who counts as a “full-time employee”?

Yes. The B2 Japanese requirement can be satisfied either by:

• you (the Business Manager), or

• a full-time employee of your business.

But you need to keep two different ideas clearly separated:

1. Who counts as “full-time employee” for the employment requirement (1+ employee)

   For the “1 full-time employee” criterion, Immigration now clearly says:

   Only the following can count as “full-time employee” for the employment requirement:

   • Japanese nationals

   • Special Permanent Residents

   • Foreigners with Table II statuses:

     • Permanent Resident

     • Spouse or Child of Japanese National

     • Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident

     • Long-Term Resident

   👉 Foreigners with Table I working visas (e.g. Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, etc.) do NOT count for the “1 employee” requirement.

2. Who can cover the Japanese language (B2) requirement

   For the B2 Japanese condition, the Q&A confirms that:

   • the person who has B2 Japanese can be you, or

   • any full-time employee, including some Table I status holders, as long as:

     • they are truly full-time staff of the business, and

     • they can prove B2-level ability (JLPT N2, BJT ≥400, or Japanese education history, etc.).

3. What is “full-time employee” in practice?

   Immigration gives concrete criteria. In principle, a full-time employee is someone who:

   • Works under a fixed work schedule, on most business days, for about 30 hours or more per week, and

   • Works 5+ days a week and 217+ days a year, and

   • Is enrolled in Employment Insurance, and

   • Receives salary appropriate for the position, and

   • Is not just:

     • secondee from another company (“在籍出向”),

     • dispatch worker,

     • or subcontract worker.

   These dispatched / outsourced workers do not count as your own “full-time employee”.

4. Do I need to submit documents for all staff?

   No. The Q&A says you do not have to submit documents for every employee.
   Immigration just needs to confirm that at least one person meets the relevant standard.

Q3. I used Startup Visa / Designated Activities (No.44 or No.51) before. What happens when I renew Business Manager?

The new Q&A distinguishes between:

1. Change of status timing

   • If your Startup Visa confirmation (No.44) or No.51 Designated Activities was issued before the enforcement date
     (i.e. before 15 October 2025),
     and you change to Business Manager based on that confirmation,
     → your initial Business Manager permission can still be granted under the old standards.

   • If you apply after the new rules take effect,
     → the new Business Manager standards will apply when you change status.

2. Renewals after you are already on Business Manager

   Once you have changed to Business Manager, your renewals follow the same rule as everyone else:

   • Until 16 October 2028
     → Even if you do not fully meet all new standards yet, Immigration will decide based on:

     • your actual business performance, and

     • whether there is a realistic prospect that you will meet the new criteria.

   • From 17 October 2028 onward
     → Your renewal will be judged against the full new standards
     (30M scale, 1+ full-time employee of the correct type, B2 Japanese, expert-checked business plan, proper office, and full compliance with taxes and insurances).

Q4. I travel abroad a lot. Can this cause renewal problems?

Yes, it can.

The new Q&A clearly states that, as a general rule:

• If, during your granted period of stay, you spend more than half of that time outside Japan
  (using a re-entry or “deemed re-entry” permit), and

• There is no good reason related to your Japanese business,

then this will be treated as a negative factor at renewal.

👉 In other words, if your pattern looks like “mostly overseas, only sometimes in Japan”, Immigration may decide that:

• there is no real Business Manager activity in Japan, and

• your renewal should not be approved.

If you must be abroad frequently, you should keep:

• contracts, invitations, and other documents

• that show the overseas trips are genuinely necessary for the Japanese business.

Q5. What taxes and insurances are actually checked at renewal?

For renewals, the Q&A confirms that Immigration will check whether:

• your company (or you, if you are a sole proprietor) has properly enrolled in the required systems, and

• you have paid all taxes and premiums that should have been paid.

In particular, they look at:

1. Labor insurance

   • Employment Insurance (雇用保険)

   • Workers’ Compensation Insurance (労災保険)

2. Social insurance

   • Health Insurance and Pension (for mandatory covered companies),

   • or, if you are not in the mandatory category, your own

     • National Health Insurance and

     • National Pension enrollment and payments.

3. National taxes (corporations)

   • Withholding income tax + special reconstruction income tax

   • Corporate tax

   • Consumption tax + local consumption tax

4. Local taxes (corporations)

   • Corporate inhabitant tax (prefectural + municipal)

   • Corporate business tax

5. National taxes (sole proprietors)

   • Withholding income tax + special reconstruction income tax

   • Income tax + special reconstruction income tax

   • Consumption tax + local consumption tax

   • Inheritance tax

   • Gift tax

6. Local taxes (sole proprietors)

   • Individual inhabitant tax (prefectural + municipal)

   • Individual business tax

The Q&A also clarifies:

• For the “public dues” documents listed on the website, it is not “one of them is enough”.

• All items that you are obliged to pay must be submitted.

If you are a sole proprietor and not obliged to join social insurance as a business:

• You do not need to show each employee’s National Health Insurance, but

• You must:

  • explain clearly why your business is not a mandatory social insurance employer, and

  • show your own National Health Insurance / National Pension enrollment and payment status.

8️⃣ When you should consult a professional ASAP

• Capital far below 30M / no plan

• Business model relies mainly on outsourcing

• Office still home-based

• Insurance/tax compliance unclear

• Aiming for PR / HSFP upgrade

These cases require early analysis and planning.

9️⃣ Need case-specific advice?

Every Business Manager case is different:

• Business size and sector

• Company structure

• Family situation

• Visa history

• Future goals (PR, HSFP, Long-Term resident, etc.)

📌 We cannot provide individual legal advice through a general article.

If you would like:

• Risk analysis under the new rules

• Renewal schedule planning

• Compliance support (insurance/tax/licenses)

• Roadmap toward 2028 / PR

📩 Please consider booking a paid online consultation with Our office.

Quick general questions → email or LINE welcome
Detailed guidance → consultation only

Conclusion

If you already hold Business Manager status:

Do not wait until 2028.
Start preparing now.

Your business, finances, and compliance record over the next few years
will determine whether you can stay in Japan long-term.

📩 Contact (General Inquiries & Communication)

For updates on an ongoing case, document submission, or other general inquiries, you may contact us through the tools below.

⚠️ Please note that we do not answer visa, residency status, licensing, apostille, or other consultation-related questions through this Contact section.
If you would like to receive advice or guidance, please apply through our paid consultation page.

👉 Click here to book a consultation (Consultation Page)

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