Employment of Full-Time Employees and Capital Amount in Japan

January 1, 2020

Question:

Is hiring 2 full-time employees a requirement to be issued a visa? Also, how much capital do I need?

Answer:

It is not necessary to hire 2 full-time employees, but a certain business size is required. Generally, a capital of at least 5 million yen is required.

Explanation:

When applying for the Business Manager visa, the Immigration Bureau will determine if the scale of the business meets any the following items:

(1) Employment of 2 or more full-time employees
(2) Investment of at least 5 million yen
(3) If there is a capital of at least 5 million yen equivalent to the abovementioned, hiring of full-time employees who are Japanese or permanent residents is not a requirement but a factor that will be evaluated positively.