Do you know the most common and fatal reason for the denial of a Business Manager Visa application?
It is the “suspicion of show money (temporarily borrowed funds)” regarding the 5 million yen prepared as capital.
“I borrowed it from a friend and put it in my account,” or “I suddenly deposited cash kept at home.” Such careless fund transfers are the fastest route for Immigration examiners to conclude that “this business is a dummy with no substance.”
This article deciphers the ruthless screening criteria of the Immigration Bureau and logically explains how to prove that “this 5 million yen is legitimate personal capital” to convince the examiner.
1. Why does Immigration relentlessly doubt the “source of 5 million yen”?
What Immigration fears is illegal labor or money laundering using shell companies. Therefore, the mere “result” of having 5 million yen in an account is not trusted at all.
What examiners look at is the “transparent process (history) of who formed that 5 million yen, under what circumstances, and how it reached that account.” Any funds with a black-boxed history are treated entirely as “show money.”
2. 3 Ironclad Rules to Prove Capital Formation and Refute Doubts
The objective evidence you need to prepare differs depending on the source of the funds (investor). Follow the ironclad rules below to build an irrefutable set of documents.
Rule 1: In the case of self-saved salary (savings)
If you claim the funds are savings from your salary as a company employee in Japan or your home country, a “bankbook showing a sudden deposit of 5 million yen” cannot prove it.
You absolutely need copies of your bank statements over the past several years showing the “history of salary deposits” and the “process of gradual accumulation.” If you transferred funds from another account, you must submit the history of the source account as well to perfectly connect the flow of funds.
Rule 2: In the case of support (remittance) from relatives
Receiving start-up funds from parents (or relatives) in your home country is common, but this is exactly where “show money” is suspected the most. You must refute this using the following three items:
- Proof of kinship: Prove the relationship definitively with a birth certificate or family register.
- Relative’s financial capacity: Submit the parent’s certificate of employment, income certificate, or bank balance certificate to prove they have the “financial power to send 5 million yen.”
- Official remittance route: An “Overseas Remittance Certificate” showing the funds were sent directly from the parent’s account to your account in Japan. *Using underground banks (hand-carrying or unofficial remittance agents) will result in immediate denial.
Rule 3: In the case of profits from other businesses or investments
This applies when you are already running a business in your home country and use capital gains, business revenue, or stock investment profits as your capital. In this case, you prove the legitimacy of the profits using objective records issued by public institutions or financial institutions, such as “tax returns,” “financial statements,” or “brokerage transaction records” from your home country.
3. [Conclusion] Make your fund transfers “transparent as glass”
When preparing capital for a Business Manager Visa, the one thing you must never do is “transfer cash by hand.” Because the source of cash cannot be traced, Immigration will not recognize it as your funds.
If there is even the slightest contradiction or “unexplained blank space” in the capital formation process, you will be mercilessly branded with a denial. Before rushing to register the company, first get a cold, objective situation analysis from a professional to see if your current flow of funds can “withstand the Immigration screening.”