Nearly 1,000 Business Manager Visa Holders Left Japan in First Half of 2026

Nearly 1,000 foreign residents of Japan with business manager visas left the country in the first half of this year — about four times the figure in the same period last year, according to government data — following stricter visa rules introduced last October.

Immigration Services Agency (ISA) data showed that 953 business manager visa holders left Japan between January and June without completing procedures required to reenter the country, meaning they effectively left for good.

The figure has been steadily climbing since last October.

While around 40 visa holders left the country per month between January and September 2025 without obtaining reentry permission, the number jumped to 80 in November, the first full month following the introduction of the new visa rules. In December, it again rose, this time to 114.

The number for June — the latest figure available — is almost twice that in December, at 226 people.

Under the revised requirements imposed in October, applicants must have at least ¥30 million ($190,000) in capital, up from ¥5 million. Companies must also employ at least one full-time worker who is either a Japanese national or a foreign resident with a stable residency status, such as a permanent resident.

Fumio Harima, a certified administrative procedures legal specialist who heads Asocia Administrative Scrivener Office in the city of Niigata, said that the biggest challenge for current visa holders is meeting the new capital requirement.

“We have had many clients say that they can’t gather the ¥30 million in capital,” said Harima, who specializes in immigration issues. “They are really struggling with what to do about the money.”

Under the tougher regulations for current business manager visa holders, there is a three-year grace period to fulfill the new criteria that runs until October 2028.

{snip}