Executive Summary
- The Japan Business Manager Visa lets you live in Japan and sponsor your own visa through a company you own and manage.
- Immigration requires a real, fixed office space, but “office” can be satisfied in several creative ways that don’t involve an expensive downtown lease.
- Options include using a residence with a separate business entrance, buying a cheap secondary property as an office, using a short-term rental or co-working style business as your office, or temporarily using a Startup Visa to avoid office costs.
- Fukuoka City’s startup ecosystem, for example, offers Startup Visas, free co-working at places like Engineer Cafe, and subsidies that delay or reduce office costs.
- Choosing the right route depends on your business model, budget, and long-term lifestyle goals in Japan; professional advice is strongly recommended.
Editor’s Note: The strategies outlined below are adapted from a presentation delivered by Nick Woolsey at the Japan Real Estate Summit (Autumn 2024). Nick is the founder of Japan Remotely, a consultancy specializing in remote work and business setups in Japan.
What the Business Manager Visa Actually Is
The Business Manager Visa is a status of residence for people who want to live in Japan by owning and running a business, rather than working for an employer. Your company effectively sponsors your visa, giving you wide freedom in the type of business you operate, from hospitality and real estate to IT services or consulting.
Unlike many work visas that tie you to a specific employer and job description, the Business Manager Visa is designed for entrepreneurs and managers, making it more flexible for people who want control over their work and lifestyle in Japan. It is also a long-term status: initial grants are often one year, with possible extensions up to five years, and it can be a pathway toward permanent residency under certain conditions.
Core Requirements: Money, Viability, and Office
Immigration checks three big things for a Business Manager Visa: investment/skin in the game, business viability, and physical office space. First, you must typically either invest at least 5 million yen into your company or hire at least two full-time local employees, which demonstrates commitment and economic contribution.
Second, you must show that the business can realistically make money, often via contracts, letters of intent, bookings, or a solid business plan and projections. Third, and the focus of this article, you must have a fixed, independent office in Japan where the business is based; virtual offices and “no-fixed-place” setups generally do not qualify.
Why Immigration Cares About Office Space
From the authority’s perspective, the office requirement is about verifying that a real, ongoing business exists at a predictable, reachable location. The space must be physically accessible, with enough room for business activities (typically at least enough for two people) and basic equipment like desks, computer, phone, and signage.
Because of this, immigration does not accept purely virtual offices, hot desks in open co-working areas, or mobile setups like vans as the primary office for a Business Manager Visa. They expect a clearly defined, independent space whose use is permitted for business under the lease, and which they could visit or verify if needed.
Pain Points of Traditional Office Rentals
For many would-be entrepreneurs, especially those whose actual work is mostly online, traditional office rentals in Japan create unnecessary friction and cost. Landlords are often conservative, skeptical of new foreign-owned companies, and may require extensive explanations about your business model and income projections before agreeing to lease space.
On top of that, key money, deposits, and multi-month advance payments can make initial cash outlay very high, especially in central locations. In some serviced offices, you must pay a premium for a small private room (with floor-to-ceiling walls and a closing door) that satisfies immigration, even if your day-to-day work does not truly demand such a space.
Method 1: Using a Residence with a Separate Business Entrance
One lesser-known strategy is to use a single building as both your residence and office, as long as the office portion meets strict independence rules. In practice, this usually means a house or building where the business area is walled off from the living area and has its own dedicated external entrance and signage.
This could be an existing property that already has a main entrance and a completely separate door leading to what becomes your office, or a larger building that you renovate to create a clearly distinct office unit. Immigration tends to be more comfortable when the entire first floor is clearly “office” and the living space is upstairs, or when an external staircase leads directly to the office without passing through private rooms.
Method 2: Buying a Cheap Secondary Property as Your Office
Given Japan’s large stock of vacant homes (akiya), another approach is to keep your primary residence separate and acquire a low-cost secondary property solely as an office. Your company leases or owns this property, uses it as the registered business address, and fits it out minimally with furnishings and signage to satisfy immigration’s office criteria.
Since many rural or regional properties are inexpensive to purchase, this approach can sometimes cost less over the medium term than paying high urban office rent and key money. However, immigration will expect the office to be reasonably connected to your life story, so choosing a location that is geographically plausible relative to where you live and operate is important.
Method 3: Using an Airbnb or Co-Working-Style Business as Your Office
For those planning hospitality or co-working businesses, your income-generating property can sometimes double as your visa office. An example is owners who bought two countryside units: one renovated quickly into an Airbnb for guests, and another gradually turned into their personal residence, with the Airbnb registered as the main business location.
Similarly, an old traditional house can be converted into a co-working space, with a portion walled off for your private office or with two distinct units-one for your residence and one as the business location where customers come and where the company is registered. This works particularly well when your business model naturally involves people using the space (short-term stays, co-working, workshops), and the office requirement becomes aligned with your revenue engine instead of an extra overhead line item.
Method 4: Using a Startup Visa to Delay Office Costs
In some regions, you can side-step the office requirement temporarily by entering Japan on a local Startup Visa rather than the Business Manager Visa from day one. These Startup Visas are municipal or prefectural programs that give you a limited period (often 6-18 months) to set up your business infrastructure while relaxing or delaying certain Business Manager conditions.
Fukuoka City is one of the most proactive examples, allowing foreign founders to use free co-working spaces like Engineer Cafe and Startup Cafe while they get their plans in order, sometimes with rent subsidies and tax incentives for qualifying businesses. During this startup window, you can test your model, refine your plan with local advisers, and decide on an office strategy only after validating that the business has traction.
Tax, Family, and Lifestyle Considerations
Beyond office hacks, the Business Manager Visa has important tax and family implications that should influence your overall plan. Long-term residents with this status are generally taxed on Japan-source income and, after a certain residency period, may also be treated as permanent residents for global income taxation purposes, subject to distinctions between active and passive income.
At the same time, the visa can allow you to sponsor dependents, including spouse, children, and in certain circumstances parents or domestic staff such as cleaners-an especially powerful combination if your business involves labor-intensive operations like short-term rentals. These features can make the Business Manager Visa not just a business tool, but a structure for long-term family life in Japan, which is why it pays to align the office decision with your bigger lifestyle goals.
FAQ
Do I absolutely have to rent a separate office to get a Business Manager Visa?
No, but you must have a compliant, independent business location; depending on your situation this can be a properly separated part of your home, a secondary property, or a business property like an Airbnb or co-working space, if structured correctly.
Can I use a virtual office or open co-working desk for my visa?
Generally no-immigration expects a fixed, private office space with walls, a door, and clear business use, not a purely virtual address or shared hot desk.
Is it possible to start without an office at all?
In some cities offering Startup Visas (for example Fukuoka), you may be able to start on a Startup Visa that temporarily relaxes office requirements while you use approved co-working spaces and build your business.
How much revenue does my business need to show?
There is no published hard minimum, but conservative practitioners often target at least around 10 million yen in annual revenue to make renewals more comfortable, backed by a coherent plan and documentation.
Should I get professional support for my application?
Yes; because office configurations, contracts, and zoning can be nuanced, most foreign founders benefit from working with immigration lawyers and relocation consultants who specialize in Business Manager and Startup Visas.
