Japan Business Manager visa new rules: what the official statistics show (2026)

Key points

• Holders are still rising, but more slowly: 46,781 at the end of Dec 2025, +12% on a year earlier; the half-year gain fell from +3,145 (H1 2025) to +2,021 (H2) Official.
• New arrivals collapsed: 537 new entrants in Sep 2025 → 39 in Jul 2026; certificates of eligibility (COE) issued 880 in Jun 2025 → 221 in Dec 2025 Official.
• Processing got slower: approved new (COE) cases took 80–146 days on average before the change and 241.9 days in Jul 2026; renewals still take about 44 days Official.
• Existing holders: renewals until 16 Oct 2028 are not refused merely for missing the new criteria; the claim “leave Japan if you can't find ¥30m” is, in ISA's words, not true Official.
• Buying property doesn't get you the visa and doesn't add to a company's ¥30m; the office must be leased in the company's name for business use Official.

Old vs new rules

Applications filed by 15 Oct 2025 and still pending were judged under the old rules Official.The ordinance sets no age limit Official.Also: managers must be paid at least what a Japanese would earn; absences of more than half the permitted period count against you; renewals check social insurance, labour insurance and national/local taxes Official.

Holders: still rising, more slowly

• 16,294 in Jun 2015; about 2.9× ten years later Official.
• Dec 2024 → Jun 2025: +3,145; Jun 2025 → Dec 2025: +2,021. The rule changed mid-way through H2: growth slowed, but the total has not fallen Official.
• The June 2026 figure is not out yet (usually published around December). Existing holders have a transition period, so the stock reacts more slowly than arrivals. Our reading

Certificates of eligibility issued: 880 → 221 a month

A certificate of eligibility (COE) is what ISA issues when someone abroad applies for the visa for the first time.

• Monthly average: 668 in Jan–Sep 2025 → 234 in Nov–Dec (−65%) Official.
• October mixes applications filed under the old rules up to 15 October, so leave it out when comparing. Our reading
• Monthly COE figures for 2026 only appear in the 2026 annual report (around July 2027); until then, new entrants (below) are the best proxy.

New entrants: 537 in Sep 2025 → 39 in Jul 2026

People usually arrive a few months after their COE, so arrivals lag issuance. There is also seasonality (May–June 2024 was low too).

Renewals and changes of status

• Monthly average: changes granted 361 → 260 (−28%); renewals granted 2,369 → 1,552 (−34%) Official.
• These are grants, not applications or refusals (e-Stat has no refusal count for this status). Monthly data exist only for 2025, so there is no same-month comparison; year-end processing may also play a part. Our reading

Annual, 2015–2025

COE / renewals / changes (monthly): all of 2025 (annual report published 24 Jul 2026)

Processing time: about 8 months for a new application

Standard processing periods: COE 1–3 months, renewal 2 weeks–1 month Official.Actual averages (approved cases only):

• New COE: 80–146 days before → 241.9 days in Jul 2026. Change of status: ~2 months → ~6 months. Renewal: ~44 days, little changed Official.
• Caveat: approvals only (refusals and withdrawals are not counted), and cases filed under the old rules are mixed in.
• Government fee: COE free; ¥6,000 when a renewal or change is granted (¥5,500 online), as shown on 29 Sep 2026 Official.

By nationality: China is 53%

In the residents statistics Hong Kong and “other” are counted inside China (not added again), and “UK (Hong Kong)” inside the UK. Taiwan is listed separately. The Hong Kong figure dipped in Dec 2024 (780 six months earlier → 584); we show the table as published, so read its 1-year change with care. Residents: end of Dec 2025 (published 10 Jul 2026).

Where: Tokyo is largest, Osaka grew fastest

Osaka grew +35% in a year (6,975 → 9,393), of whom 6,829 are Chinese nationals Official.

Residents: end of Dec 2025 (published 10 Jul 2026).Prefecture and nationality-by-prefecture figures come from the t1 table data; totals match Table 1.

Applications: only a press figure exists

In the Diet (House of Councillors Judicial Affairs Committee, 21 Apr 2026) ISA said many current holders are around the ¥5m level and few are at ¥30m; the Justice Minister said individual circumstances would still be considered after the 3-year transition (Diet answers, not statistics).

Existing holders: renewal and 16 Oct 2028

• Renewals until 16 Oct 2028 are “not refused merely because” the new criteria are not met; ISA looks at the business and the prospect of meeting them (and may ask for an expert assessment) Official.
• From 16 Oct 2028 the new criteria apply, but a sound business that pays its taxes and is expected to meet them by the next renewal is judged case by case Official.
• ISA FAQ Q3 on the claim that you must leave Japan if you cannot find ¥30m by 2028: “事実ではありません” (“this is not true”) Official.
• At renewal you submit proof of labour and social insurance (health and pension) enrolment and payment and the company's national and local taxes — all that apply. Being abroad for more than half the period counts against you Official.
• Permanent residence: after the change, PR is not granted from Business Manager (or HSP 1(c)) unless the new criteria are met Official.

Can an Airbnb (minpaku) get you the visa?

• ISA's amendment page and guidelines do not mention minpaku at all; there is no named ban Official.
• The general rule applies: if most operations are outsourced and you do not personally run the business day to day (or do not know its operations and finances), it does not qualify (FAQ Q19, guideline) Official.
• A hotel licence or minpaku notification is a business licence ISA asks about (Q28) Official.
• Private Lodging Business Act Art. 11: hosts who are not on site must outsource to a registered management company (unless they are one) Official.

Property: office rules, and does buying count toward ¥30m?

• Office: if leased, the lease must be in the company's name and for business use; monthly short-term spaces or stalls are not accepted; the size must be “necessary and sufficient” for the business; temporary space in incubators such as JETRO IBSC is accepted Official.
• Home office: “not permitted in principle”, so you normally need an office and a separate home Official.
• Buying property does not count toward a company's ¥30m: only paid-in capital counts (total contributions for a godo kaisha); salaries, office costs and the like cannot be added (FAQ Q8) Official.Spending the capital on an office does not change the registered capital, so it neither helps nor hurts Our reading.
• Sole proprietors: the total invested counts (premises, one year of staff salary, equipment), so acquiring premises counts Official.
• Whether contributing property in kind as capital counts: ISA documents do not say Not verified.Ask a gyoseishoshi or lawyer.
• Your own home: buying or renting it has nothing to do with the visa criteria Official.

What the official data do not show

• Application and refusal counts by status are not published (only the press figure above), so we give no “approval rate” or “refusal rate”.
• Monthly COE / renewal / change figures for 2026: in the 2026 annual report, around July 2027.
• Holders at end-June 2026: usually published around December.

FAQ

Sources

1. ISA: amendment of the landing ordinance for “Business Manager” (incl. FAQ, 令和8年6月26日更新 (2026-06-26))moj.go.jp (read 2026-09-29)
2. Guideline on the revised Business Manager criteria (令和7年10月10日公表・同月30日更新)PDF; overview PDF (read 2026-09-29)
3. Clarification of the Business Manager status (「経営・管理」の在留資格の明確化等について 令和4年10月策定…令和8年6月改訂)PDF
4. Landing Permission Criteria Ordinance (MOJ Ordinance No. 16 of 1990) e-Gov (read 2026-09-29)
5. ISA processing periods (monthly) moj.go.jp (Oct 2024–Jul 2026); standard periods and fees 16-1・16-3 (read 2026-09-29)
6. ISA Business Manager procedures page moj.go.jp (read 2026-09-29)
7. Foreign residents statistics, Table 1: 25-12-01-1 国籍・地域別 在留資格別 在留外国人 (statInfId 000040472260, published 2026-07-10)e-stat.go.jp
8. Foreign residents statistics, t1 table data (prefecture, nationality): 25-12-t1 在留外国人統計テーブルデータ (国籍・地域別 在留資格別 都道府県別 年齢・性別) (statInfId 000040472265, published 2026-07-10)e-stat.go.jp
9. Immigration Control Statistics, annual (COEs by month): 25-00-22 在留資格別 月別 在留資格認定証明書交付人員 (statInfId 000040478468, published 2026-07-24)e-stat.go.jp
10. Immigration Control Statistics, annual (changes by month): 25-00-30 在留資格別 月別 在留資格変更許可人員 (statInfId 000040478476, published 2026-07-24)e-stat.go.jp
11. Immigration Control Statistics, annual (renewals by month): 25-00-28 在留資格別 月別 在留期間更新許可人員 (statInfId 000040478474, published 2026-07-24)e-stat.go.jp
12. Immigration Control Statistics, monthly (new entrants): 26-07-02-2 国籍・地域別 新規入国外国人の在留資格 (statInfId 000040502438, published 2026-09-25)e-stat.go.jp
13. Private Lodging Business Act, Art. 11 e-Gov
14. Gyoseishoshi Act, Art. 19 e-Gov
15. Press TBS NEWS DIG (8 May 2026): new Business Manager applications ~1,700 → ~70 a month (repeated by Yahoo! News Japan 9 May 2026 and Storm Media Japanese edition 14 May 2026). Not an official statistic.
16. US$ at the ECB reference cross rate (2026-09-25, US$1 ≈ ¥157.59); indicative only.