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The number of applicants for Japan’s Business Manager Visa after the stricter regulations have taken effect has dropped by 96% from a monthly average of 1,700 to just 70.
The visa allows foreigners to live in Japan while starting or managing a business, but it is now far more restrictive, with the capital requirement raised from ¥5 to ¥30 million, new qualifications requiring at least three years of prior management experience or a master’s degree (or equivalent) in business management, a requirement to employ at least one full-time staff member, and a business plan that must be verified by a certified Small and Medium-sized Enterprise management consultant. Of the roughly 41,600 current holders of this visa, only about 4% meet the new ¥30 million capital requirement.