“I want to resign from my position as a manager at the Japan branch of a foreign company and start my own business in Japan.”
For elite professionals who arrived on an Intra-company Transferee (ICT) visa and have become well-versed in the Japanese business scene, independence and entrepreneurship are natural steps. However, legally, this requires a complete metamorphosis: severing the “capital link with the foreign parent company” and becoming an “owner-manager” who takes root in Japan independently. We explain the strategy for transitioning to a “Business Manager” visa to stay in Japan.
1. Repurposing Your Career at the Japan Branch into Evidence of “Management Ability”
In the screening for a Business Manager visa, the applicant’s “experience in management or administration” is scrutinized. While this typically requires three or more years of experience, the fact that you held a managerial position (Department Manager, Branch Manager, Director, etc.) at a Japanese branch under an ICT visa is, in itself, extremely powerful proof of management ability.
Do not simply list this as “work history.” You must link your experience—how you managed budgets, how many subordinates you supervised, and the business decisions you made—with objective documents such as organizational charts and financial reports. Constructing a logic that convinces the examiner that “this person has sufficient qualities to steer a new company in Japan” is a unique weapon for ICT holders, distinguishing their application from other statuses (such as Gijinkoku).
2. The “Departure Timing” from the Japan Branch and the Flow of Incorporation
The greatest concern is the “blank period” between resigning from your current company (the Japan branch) and being granted a Business Manager visa. Since the ICT visa’s foundation is the employment relationship with the foreign parent company, its legal basis is lost the moment you resign.
The ideal workflow is to complete the preparation for the new corporation (articles of incorporation, securing 5 million yen in capital) while still employed, and then file an “Application for Change of Status of Residence” immediately after resigning. In this process, you must meticulously prove the “continuity and safety” of the business through a business plan, explaining why you are choosing independence over a top position and how you are clearing non-compete obligations.
3. Independence from “Corporate Housing” and the Rule for Securing an Office
While a luxury residence (corporate housing) provided by the company was acceptable under an ICT visa, the absolute requirement for a Business Manager visa is the complete separation of your “personal residence” and “independent business space.” Ambiguous arrangements, such as using a corner of your home as an office, will lead to doubts about your status as a manager.
You must prepare a physical office equipped with a PC, telephone, and desk—a space worthy of displaying a corporate sign—under a lease agreement in the corporation’s name. Moving away from a home protected by employee benefits and building your own infrastructure as an independent manager is essential. Presenting these elements as one is the shortest route for elite professionals to achieve independence and eventually secure permanent residency in Japan.