Japan Business Manager Visa: Objective Legal Procedures to Break the “Chicken and Egg” Deadlock of Business Licenses

This article is written by a Japanese local.

When foreign investors start businesses in Japan, importing/exporting luxury brands and watches (Second-hand Dealer License) and inbound tourism (Travel Agency License) are in extremely high demand. However, these businesses require “licenses/permits” from administrative bodies like police stations and prefectures. When intertwined with the Immigration Services Agency’s Business Manager Visa screening, they create an extremely complex legal puzzle.

This article explains the true nature of the “Chicken and Egg Dilemma” caused by being caught between Immigration and administrative agencies, and the objective legal approaches to lawfully break this deadlock and launch your business.

1. The Despairing Dilemma: “Visa First or License First?”

[Summary] There is an institutional contradiction: Immigration demands a “license,” while the administrative agency demands a “visa (resident certificate).”

When applying for a Business Manager Visa for a business requiring a license, applicants inevitably hit the wall of Japan’s unique bureaucracy. If you do not understand the following structure, your procedures will completely halt, and your business will never start.

① Immigration’s Stance: “No Visa Without a License”

Immigration will not grant a visa unless the state of being “able to lawfully conduct business in Japan” is complete. In other words, if your business plan states “We will operate as a second-hand dealer,” but a copy of the second-hand dealer license is not attached, they will immediately deny the application stating, “You are legally unable to commence business (lacking business continuity).”

② Police/Prefectural Stance: “No License Without a Visa”

On the other hand, the jurisdictional windows for licenses—police stations (second-hand dealers) and prefectures (travel agencies)—demand as an application requirement that “the applicant (corporate representative) or manager possesses a mid-to-long term resident status and a resident certificate (Juminhyo) in Japan.” As a non-resident living overseas, they will generally refuse to even accept your license application.

2. “3 Legal Breakthroughs” to Destroy this Deadlock

[Summary] Choose the optimal approach from assigning a co-representative, conditional applications, or starting small.

Advanced legal design is required to resolve this contradiction and launch a business lawfully. There are three main approaches:

① The Scheme of Assigning a Co-Representative/Manager (Domestic Resident)

You bring in a Japanese national or permanent resident already holding a domestic resident certificate as a “Co-Representative Director” or “Manager stipulated by each law (Certified Travel Services Manager, Second-hand Dealer Manager).” This opens the most reliable practical route: obtaining the license from the administrative agency under the resident collaborator’s name/qualifications first, and then using that “License Certificate” to apply for the overseas applicant’s Business Manager Visa at Immigration.

② Submitting Records of “Conditional Prior Consultation” to Administrative Agencies

You go to the jurisdictional police station or administrative agency for a preliminary consultation to secure a commitment (verbal or written): “All requirements (store facilities, capital, absence of disqualification grounds) are met so that the license will be issued immediately once the visa is granted and the representative’s resident certificate is obtained.” By submitting this consultation record (name of the official, date and time) and a detailed statement of reasons to Immigration, you objectively prove that “lawful business can commence immediately as soon as the visa is granted.” *Note: Difficulty is high as some municipalities refuse to document prior consultations.*

③ “Small Start” from a Business Not Requiring Licenses

You establish a company and obtain the Business Manager Visa initially with a main business that does not require licenses, such as “general import/export (new items only)” or “consulting.” After successfully acquiring the visa and a domestic resident certificate, you then apply for and obtain the second-hand dealer or travel agency license to fully launch the intended business purpose. It is an ironclad rule to include all future necessary business purposes in the Articles of Incorporation at the time of establishment.

3. The Legal Revision (30M JPY Requirement) and Heavy Capital Requirements for Travel Agencies

[Summary] A financial foundation that simultaneously satisfies Immigration’s 30 million JPY requirement and the Travel Agency Act’s base asset requirements is essential.

Due to the legal revision in October 2025, a “capital of 30 million JPY or more” is mandated for the Business Manager Visa itself. When operating a travel agency, ensuring the “Base Asset Amount (minimum 30 million JPY+)” and depositing an “expensive operating security deposit” based on the Travel Agency Act are required.

If you deposit (freeze) tens of millions of yen into the Legal Affairs Bureau as an operating security deposit from the 30 million JPY capital prepared for the visa, your cash flow will dry up, rendering you unable to pay salaries for full-time staff or office rent. When starting a travel agency, a robust financial plan preparing tens of millions of yen in additional funds for deposits and initial operating capital—entirely separate from the 30 million JPY visa requirement—is mandatory.

4. Practical Q&A (M&A and Manager Requirements)

[Summary] Answers regarding acquiring an already licensed company (M&A) and the manager requirements specific to second-hand dealers.

Q. Can I get a visa immediately if I acquire (M&A) a Japanese company that already holds a travel agency or second-hand dealer license?

A. Acquiring a company through M&A is an effective means to quickly secure a business foundation. However, when the company’s representative changes to a new foreign owner, a “Notification of Change of Officers (or re-application for permission)” is required by the jurisdictional administrative agency. Since the change might not be accepted if the new representative lacks a domestic resident certificate, contractual ingenuity—such as conducting thorough legal due diligence before the acquisition and having the former management temporarily remain as co-representatives—is necessary.

Q. Can the business owner concurrently serve as the “Manager” for a second-hand dealer?

A. Concurrent service is possible if you reside domestically. However, the manager of a second-hand dealership is legally required to “work full-time at the sales office.” If the representative travels overseas frequently or plans to operate multiple stores, acting as the manager yourself deviates from reality. You must appoint a full-time employee stationed at each sales office as the manager.

Conclusion: Constructing a Precise Roadmap to Coordinate Inter-Agency “Silos”

Obtaining a Business Manager Visa involving licenses requires perfectly linking the requirements of both the Immigration Act and respective business laws (Second-hand Dealer Act, Travel Agency Act, etc.). Otherwise, procedures will definitely stall. To prevent the tragedy of losing your actual funds—”renting a store and completing interior work, only to withdraw because the visa was denied and licenses couldn’t be obtained”—execute a legal roadmap design that oversees the entire picture from the business planning stage.