Japan Business Manager Visa: Legal Procedures for Overseas Incorporation and Account Opening

This article is written by a Japanese local.

The “Japan Business Manager Visa” is for foreign nationals living overseas who wish to start a business and reside long-term in Japan. Due to a legal revision in 2015, it is now institutionally possible for “a foreign national to independently become the representative director of a company (without a Japanese collaborator).”

However, when attempting to establish a company independently from overseas relying on internet information, in almost 100% of cases, entrepreneurs face a “fatal bug” where procedures completely halt. This article thoroughly explains the true nature of the greatest barrier hindering foreign entrepreneurs’ entry into Japan and the practical procedures to overcome it objectively and legally.

1. The Despairing Deadlock: “No Visa Means No Company”

Under the Japanese legal system, when a foreign national residing overseas attempts to establish a company alone, procedures completely halt before the strict rules of banks and real estate agencies.

To apply for a Business Manager Visa, you must complete corporate registration and sign an office lease to establish the reality of the company “before” submitting documents to the Immigration Services Agency. However, the following massive walls stand before foreigners living overseas (those without a domestic Residence Card and Certificate of Residence [Juminhyo]):

• Inability to deposit capital (30 million JPY): To establish a company, capital must be transferred to the promoter’s personal bank account. However, foreigners without a visa (Juminhyo) cannot open an account at a domestic bank due to anti-money laundering measures.
• Inability to sign an office lease: Securing an “independent, physical business office” is mandatory for the visa application. However, foreigners without a visa cannot pass the screening of real estate agencies (rent guarantor companies), making it impossible to rent a room alone.

In other words, you fall into a complete deadlock: “Because I don’t have a visa, I can’t contract an account or an office. Because I have no account or office, I can’t establish a company. Because there is no company, the Business Manager Visa will not be issued.”

2. Breakthrough A: The Scheme of Assigning a Domestic “Co-Representative”

The most realistic and speedy solution is to assign a business partner who already resides in Japan as a co-representative during the establishment preparation phase.

You register a partner who already lives domestically and has a Juminhyo and bank account as a temporary “Co-Representative Director.” This makes it possible to use the partner’s personal account as the “capital deposit account” and legally contract a domestic office.

[Crucial Note]
If you merely use the partner for “name lending (dummy appointment),” it will be denied as a violation of the Immigration Control Act (false application). It is essential to build a meticulous business plan based on objective contracts and minutes, having the partner handle the initial establishment duties, and legally transferring authority (resignation of the co-representative) as a “transition to the full operation phase” after you arrive in Japan.

3. Breakthrough B: The “4-Month Business Manager Visa” Exception for Solo Entrepreneurs

If you have no collaborators in Japan, there is a route to acquire a special measure prepared by Immigration, the “4-Month Business Manager Visa,” and establish the company after arriving in Japan.

1. “Before” establishing the company, you submit the Articles of Incorporation and a detailed business plan to Immigration to apply for the visa.
2. If approved, you can temporarily acquire a Residence Card (Business Manager) valid for “only 4 months” and a Juminhyo.
3. Now that you have a domestic Juminhyo, you can openly open a bank account in your name, contract an office, deposit the capital (30 million JPY), and establish the company.
4. Before the 4-month period expires, you report to Immigration that “the company is complete” and apply for a renewal to a “1-Year Business Manager Visa.”

※However, substantiating a business plan while the company has no physical reality (no office and no funds moving) makes the Immigration screening extremely strict. Objective data supporting the feasibility of the business and physical evidence such as Letters of Intent (LOI) with business partners are required.

4. The Barrier of Remitting Capital (30 Million JPY) from Overseas

The remittance of massive capital amounts at the time of company establishment is strictly checked by domestic banks from the perspective of anti-money laundering measures.

If you remit 30 million JPY from overseas to a collaborator’s account, the Japanese bank will inevitably conduct a verification (interviews and document requests) asking, “What is the purpose of this large sum of funds?” and “Is the source of the funds legal?” If the purpose of the remittance cannot be accurately explained here, the funds will be frozen and returned overseas, delaying the establishment schedule by months. It is necessary to prepare statements from the overseas remitting bank and an English translation of the business plan in advance to prepare for the bank’s screening upon arrival.

5. Practical Q&A (Troubles with Overseas Incorporation)

Q. I heard a “Certificate of Registered Seal (Inkan Shomeisho)” is required for incorporation, but I don’t have one because I live overseas.

A. Those residing overseas without a Japanese Juminhyo cannot obtain a Certificate of Registered Seal. Instead, you obtain a “Signature Certificate” issued by a Notary Public in your home country or at a Japanese Embassy/Consulate in your home country, and submit that to the Legal Affairs Bureau as a substitute for the seal certificate.

Q. What happens if I cannot rent an office after arriving in Japan on the 4-month visa?

A. If you do not contract an office and complete corporate registration within the 4-month period, you will not be able to renew your visa and must return to your home country. Because real estate owners who permit move-ins on a 4-month visa are extremely limited, prior preparation—working closely with a real estate agent before coming to Japan to list up accepting properties—is essential.

Conclusion: Meticulous Roadmap Construction Before Entry Determines Success

When entering the market from overseas, “visa application” and “company establishment” cannot be considered separately. Even if solo incorporation is legally possible, practically you will always be blocked by the walls of banks and real estate. Do not jump the gun based solely on fragmented internet information; construct a roadmap based on objective facts at the stage of planning your entry into Japan to achieve a reliable business launch.