The short answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I get a visa if I buy property in Japan? | No. Japan has no golden visa, no residence-by-investment scheme and no property-purchase visa. Ownership and immigration status are separate. |
| Can I buy property without a visa? | Yes. No visa, residence or nationality is needed to own land or buildings; see is Japan banning foreign buyers? |
| How long can I stay in my own house? | As long as your status allows. A visa-exempt tourist (most Western passports) gets 90 days per visit; ownership does not extend it. |
| Is there an “investor visa”? | The closest is the Business Manager status (経営・管理), which requires running a real business in Japan, not holding real estate. Requirements were raised on 16 October 2025. |
| Does buying property count toward the capital requirement? | For a company, the Immigration Services Agency counts paid-in capital only. Buying a building with that capital does not add to it. For a sole proprietor, total investment in the business (including premises) is what is assessed. |
Why owning property gives no right to live in Japan
Japan's Immigration Control Act lists the statuses of residence a foreigner can hold (work, study, family, long-term resident, permanent resident and so on). None of them is granted for owning an asset. Buying a house, a condo or a ryokan therefore changes nothing about how long you may stay: a tourist is still a tourist, and a non-resident owner still files the non-resident paperwork like any other foreign buyer.
Be wary of listings or agents that advertise a property as “visa-eligible” or “comes with a visa”. Immigration law does not work that way, and the Immigration Services Agency's own guideline warns that preparing immigration documents for a fee is reserved to lawyers and licensed administrative scriveners (行政書士).
The Business Manager visa: requirements since 16 October 2025
The Business Manager status is for people who run a business in Japan. The Ministry of Justice ordinance was amended with effect from 16 October 2025, and the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) page for the amendment (last updated 26 June 2026, as shown on the page when we checked it on 7 October 2026) lists these conditions:
| Item | Rule (ISA, in force 16 Oct 2025) | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | ¥30 million or more in capital or total invested in the business. For a company this means paid-in capital (reserves and retained earnings do not count; several companies cannot be added together). | ¥5 million |
| Staff | At least one full-time employee living in Japan who is a Japanese national, special permanent resident, permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national or permanent resident, or long-term resident. | Capital or two full-time staff |
| Japanese language | The applicant or one full-time employee at B2 level of the Japanese Language Reference Framework (JLPT N2, BJT 400+, a Japanese degree, or 20+ years' residence). | No requirement |
| Education or experience | A master's, doctorate or professional degree in business/management or the field of the business, or three years' management experience. | No requirement |
| Business plan | Confirmed by a Japanese certified SME consultant, CPA or licensed tax accountant. | Not required |
| Office | A dedicated business office; a home office is “in principle not accepted”. Month-to-month shared spaces do not qualify (incubator facilities are an exception). | Office required, home office sometimes accepted |
| Existing holders | Renewals until 16 October 2028 are not refused solely for missing the new conditions; from that date the new conditions apply (with an overall assessment of the business). | — |
What has happened since the change—certificates of eligibility, new entrants, processing times and nationalities—is on our monthly page Business Manager visa statistics, built from the ISA's own tables.
Where property does come into it
- An office is compulsory. Someone who comes on the Business Manager visa needs business premises on a commercial lease or owned by the company, in the company's name, with a size that fits the business, and somewhere to live. Those are two separate property searches.
- Buying the office does not raise your capital. For a company the ISA looks at paid-in capital in the register; spending it on a building neither adds to nor reduces that figure. Whether a property contributed in kind counts as paid-in capital is not addressed in the ISA material we read—ask an immigration lawyer. For a sole proprietor, the cost of securing premises is part of the total investment that is assessed.
- Buying a home is irrelevant to the visa. It is neither required nor counted.
What about rental property or an Airbnb as the business?
The ISA material does not name “real estate” or “minpaku” as permitted or forbidden businesses. The general rule it states is that an applicant who outsources most of the work and does not manage the business day to day is not treated as a business manager. Two points follow, without predicting any individual decision:
- Owning one or two flats that a management company runs for you is hard to present as a ¥30m business with a dedicated office, a full-time employee and the owner actively managing it. Under the Private Lodging Business Act, an owner who is not on site must in any case appoint a registered management company.
- A hotel or ryokan company you actually run, with staff and a licence, is a different proposition. Any licence the business needs (for example a hotel licence under the Hotel Business Act) is checked as part of the application. See buying a ryokan in Japan and onsen hotels for sale.
Whether a particular rental or lodging business qualifies is decided by the ISA case by case. Confirm the current rules on the ISA page in the sources, and use a licensed immigration lawyer for the application.
Other ways to stay longer
Most foreign owners who spend extended time in Japan do so on an ordinary status: work, spouse, student, the Highly Skilled Professional points system, or the Digital Nomad status (up to six months, income threshold applies). Retirees have no dedicated visa. None of these is affected by whether you own or rent your home. For the official list, start from the Immigration Services Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages in the sources.
FAQ
Does buying property in Japan give you residency?
No. Japan has no golden visa or residence-by-investment programme. You can buy without a visa, but owning does not let you stay longer than your status allows.
Is there a Japan investor visa for real estate?
Not for passive investment. The Business Manager visa requires an operating business with, since 16 October 2025, at least ¥30 million in capital, one full-time employee, a Japanese-speaker at B2 level, a dedicated office and a professionally confirmed business plan. Simply holding real estate does not meet it.
Can I count the property I buy toward the ¥30 million?
For a company, the ISA counts paid-in capital, so buying a building with it does not add to the figure. For a sole proprietor, the total invested in the business, including premises, is assessed. Confirm your own case with an immigration lawyer.
Can I run an Airbnb to get the Business Manager visa?
The ISA does not single out minpaku, but it does say that someone who outsources most of the work and does not actively manage the business is not a business manager. Small, fully managed rentals are therefore difficult to present as qualifying. Decisions are case by case.
Buying in Japan and want it checked properly?
We introduce licensed Japanese brokers who work with overseas buyers and explain zone rules and filings. We are not a real estate broker or a law firm. We don't describe, recommend or negotiate properties, and we don't charge buyers. Brokers may pay us a referral fee.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, revision of the landing criteria for the “Business Manager” status (in force 16 October 2025; page updated 26 June 2026; FAQ): moj.go.jp/isa (checked 7 October 2026)
- Immigration Services Agency, guideline on the revised criteria (PDF, 10 October 2025): PDF; guideline on the scope of the status (office, continuity): PDF
- Immigration Services Agency, “Business Manager” procedures page: moj.go.jp/isa
- Ministerial Ordinance on landing criteria (Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice No. 16 of 1990), current text: laws.e-gov.go.jp
- Private Lodging Business Act (住宅宿泊事業法), Article 11 on compulsory management companies: laws.e-gov.go.jp
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, long-term visas and the Digital Nomad status: mofa.go.jp
- Our monthly figures: Business Manager visa statistics (ISA statistics tables)
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026. Immigration rules change; the thresholds above were read from the Immigration Services Agency page on that date. Check the ISA page before relying on them.
Disclaimer. General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Japan House Prices is not a real estate broker (宅地建物取引業者), a law firm, an immigration lawyer (行政書士) or a tax adviser, and we do not prepare or handle visa applications. We may receive a referral fee from the broker; you pay nothing to us.