Route guide
Startup → Business Manager
Build a business in Japan, now with a ¥30M capital bar.
Who it's for
Founders with serious capital and a real plan.
- Time to a job
- 1–2 years
- From starting this route to your first job in Japan.
- Visa path
- Startup visa
- Business Manager
- The visas you hold, in order.
- How secure
- Risky
- How likely you can stay if plans change.
- Japanese needed
- Helpful
- required staff must be resident
- To get in, and to get hired.
Requirements
- ¥30M capital for Business Manager (since Oct 16, 2025)
- At least one full-time resident employee
- Startup visa gives up to 2 years to prepare
Timeline
- 1Start
Apply to a city's Startup visa program
Programs vary by city.
- 2Within 2 years
Meet Business Manager requirements
Capital, office, employee.
Loading costs…
Do's and don'ts
✓ Do
- Talk to an immigration scrivener (行政書士)
✕ Don't
- Don't use this route just to move; the bar is high