Japan Business Manager Visa: Objective Proof of Capital Formation to Refute “Show Money” Suspicions for the 30 Million JPY Requirement

This article is written by a Japanese local.

Do you know the most common and fatal reason for denial in Business Manager Visa applications?

It is the “suspicion of show money (temporary borrowed funds prepared solely to pass the screening)” regarding the 30 million JPY prepared as capital.

“I borrowed it from a friend and put it in my account.” “I suddenly deposited cash kept at home into my account.” Such careless movement of funds is the shortest route for the Immigration Services Agency’s examiners to judge that “this business is a dummy with no substance.” This article deciphers the strict screening criteria of Immigration and explains objective legal procedures to prove that “this 30 million JPY is legitimate self-owned capital.”

1. Why Does Immigration Relentlessly Suspect the “Source of the 30 Million JPY”?

[Summary] To guard against money laundering and dummy corporations, Immigration severely screens the “history” leading up to the funds’ arrival, not just the “result” in the account.

What Immigration fears is illegal labor or money laundering using shell companies. Therefore, the mere “result” of having 30 million JPY in an account earns no trust whatsoever.

What examiners are looking for is a “transparent process (history) showing who the 30 million JPY came from, how it was formed, and how it arrived in that account.” Funds with a black-boxed history are immediately processed as “show money” or “funds of unknown origin” and rejected.

2. Three Approaches to “Prove Fund Formation” and Refute Show Money Suspicions

[Summary] You must construct objective and continuous evidence depending on the source of funds (salary savings, remittances from relatives, or investment profits).

The objective evidence you must prepare varies depending on the source of the funds. Please construct irrefutable documentation following the rules below.

① In the Case of Self-Saved Salary

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 30 million JPY” will not serve as proof.

You must provide copies of your bankbook showing the “salary deposit history” over the past few years and “the process of its gradual accumulation.” If you transferred funds from another account, you must submit all histories of the originating accounts to perfectly connect the flow of funds.

② In the Case of Financial Assistance (Remittance) from Relatives

Receiving startup funds from parents (or relatives) in the home country is common, but this is where “show money” is most suspected. You must prove it using the following three elements:

• Proof of Kinship: Prove the relationship with a birth certificate or family register.
• Financial Capacity of the Relative: Submit the parent’s certificate of employment, income certificate, bank balance certificate, tax returns, etc., to prove they have the “legitimate financial capacity to send 30 million JPY.”
• Legitimate Remittance Route: An “Overseas Remittance Certificate (SWIFT message, etc.)” showing the funds were sent directly from the parent’s account in the home country to your account in Japan.

③ In the Case of Profits from Other Businesses or Investments

This applies when using capital gains from a business already established in your home country, or profits from stock/real estate investments. In this case, you must prove the legitimacy of the profits using objective records issued by public institutions or financial institutions, such as “Tax Returns,” “Financial Statements,” “Brokerage Account Statements,” or “Real Estate Sales Contracts” from your home country.

3. Practical Q&A (Troubles with Fund Transfers)

[Summary] Answers practical troubles such as the risks of cash (hoarded cash) and fund shortages due to exchange rate fluctuations.

Q. I don’t trust banks, so I kept my money in cash at home. If I deposit this, does it become capital?

A. The risk of denial is extremely high. Handing over cash (hand-carrying, etc.) is something you must absolutely not do when preparing capital. Because the source of cash cannot be traced, Immigration does not recognize it as legitimate business funds. A meticulous statement of reasons explaining the background of accumulating the cash from past income proofs becomes indispensable.

Q. Due to exchange rate fluctuations during an overseas remittance, the amount arriving in my Japanese account fell slightly below 30 million JPY.

A. This means you failed to meet the legal requirement (30 million JPY or more). If you proceed with corporate registration in this state, your visa will definitely be denied. Overseas remittances always involve fluctuating exchange rates, plus remittance and receiving fees are deducted. The golden rule is not to send the exact minimum, but to send a buffer amount of “30 million JPY + about 10%” to account for rate changes. If there is a shortfall, you must legally remit the remaining balance to completely exceed 30 million JPY before establishing the company.

Conclusion: Execute Fund Transfers with “Complete Transparency”

If there is even the slightest contradiction or “unexplainable blank” in the fund formation process, you will be mercilessly branded with a denial. Before rushing corporate registration and depositing your capital, carefully assess whether your current flow of funds has the “objectivity to withstand Immigration’s severe screening,” and execute legal procedures with complete transparency.