A team of investors pooling their funds to start a business in Japan. The assumption that “because we all invested, we can all get a Business Manager Visa” is a fatal mistake.
In the Immigration Bureau’s screening, the principle for a Business Manager Visa is “one person (the top executive) per company.” The hurdle for two or more foreigners to obtain this visa simultaneously is extremely high. A half-baked business plan will be mercilessly denied under the reasoning that “there is not enough management work for two people.”
This article explains the “two absolute conditions” required to successfully establish a multi-founder business and win visas for all co-founders.
1. Clarifying Investment Ratios and “Decision-Making Authority”
Choosing to “invest equally at 50% each” in a joint venture works extremely unfavorably in the screening process. This is because Immigration judges that if opinions clash, decision-making will fall into a deadlock, jeopardizing business continuity.
Who bears the ultimate management responsibility? You need a logic that clarifies the location of responsibility and authority through the investment ratio, such as “Representative Director A holds 51%, and Director B holds 49%.”
2. Complete Separation of “Roles” and Proof of Workload
The point Immigration scrutinizes most strictly is: “Is this business truly of a scale that requires two (or more) executives?”
A vague explanation like “we will oversee general management together” is unacceptable. You must completely separate the tasks each person is in charge of and objectively prove that they function as the top of their respective fields.
- [Example of Division]
Executive A: Overseeing overseas market expansion, import/export routes, and financial management.
Executive B: Overseeing domestic sales in Japan, technical development, and HR/labor management.
Furthermore, you must prove through a meticulous business plan that each role has a “sufficient workload (in terms of sales scale and number of employees) to be performed full-time every day.” For a small company just after establishment, proving this workload is the biggest wall.
3. [Conclusion] Careless Team Startups Lead to “Mutual Destruction”
Applying for Business Manager Visas through a joint venture requires “advanced proof construction” on a completely different level from a sole application. If the separation of duties or the validity of remuneration is doubted even slightly, it leads to the worst-case scenario: one person is approved and the other is denied (or everyone is denied).
Before incorporating the company and investing your capital, immediately consult business plan consultants or certified administrative scriveners (Gyoseishoshi) to objectively determine if your team’s concept can withstand Immigration’s screening.