Japan now requires Business Manager visa applicants to demonstrate stronger business substance. Examiners focus on operational readiness, funding transparency, and realistic future continuity. A clearly independent and equipped office is essential. Authorities confirm that business can actually start operating immediately. Home addresses and virtual offices are usually considered insufficient, as they do not prove day-to-day...

Japan has significantly revised the requirements for the Business Manager visa as of October 16. The goal is to ensure that applicants are operating real businesses rather than applying solely to relocate to Japan. This visa category allows foreign nationals to manage or operate a business in Japan. Under the updated standards, applicants must now...

On October 16, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan implemented stricter requirements for the Business Manager visa. The regulation was revised due to concerns that some applicants were improperly using the visa system mainly as a means to relocate to Japan rather than to operate genuine businesses. Key updates published by the agency include: The...

A joint investigation by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Professor Yoshihisa Matsumura of Hannan University found that 677 China-related corporations registered their head offices in five older buildings and apartments in Osaka City during the three years following the COVID-19 pandemic. These companies were identified among 9,660 China-related corporations extracted from corporate registration records. Each of...