This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）
As things stand, if you go to a city bank or a regional bank counter on your own, you will not be able to open a new corporate account. There are, however, 3 ways forward: appointing a joint representative resident in Japan for the time being, using an online bank, and going ahead with the visa application using the existing account, then opening a new one after you arrive in Japan.
An enquiry from someone who is turned away at the bank counter because they are a non-resident with no status of residence.
A foreign national with no certificate of residence is treated as a non-resident, and opening a new account is tightly restricted as a measure against money laundering.
A foreign national with no status of residence (and so no certificate of residence) is treated by banks as a "non-resident", and opening a new account at a city bank or a regional bank is very tightly restricted as a measure against money laundering.
This is one of the biggest practical obstacles, and almost every business owner living abroad who is working towards a visa application runs into it. It has nothing to do with the standing of the company; it is a blanket restriction on non-residents.
If at least 1 of the representatives is a resident with a certificate of residence in Japan, the account can be opened within the ordinary framework for screening a company.
What most Japanese banks ask for as a condition of opening a corporate account is that at least 1 of the company's representatives is a resident holding a certificate of residence in Japan.
With this approach, an account can be opened within the ordinary framework for screening a company, even at a regional bank or a city bank in Kyoto.
Some online banks and foreign-affiliated financial institutions do take a flexible approach, even to a company whose representative is a non-resident.
Traditional city banks and regional banks work on the principle of strict face-to-face confirmation that the person is a resident, but some online banks and foreign-affiliated financial institutions do take a flexible approach, even to a company whose representative is a non-resident.
SBI Sumishin Net Bank, Rakuten Bank, GMO Aozora Net Bank and others screen the substance of the company as a whole over the web — that it is in its 3rd business year, its sales record, whether it has filed tax returns, and the substance of its office. Even where the representative is abroad, there are a growing number of cases in which an account is allowed to be opened, provided there is a contact address in Japan or someone in Japan who handles the day-to-day work.
Screening at these banks is also getting stricter year by year, however, so it is essential that the company's official website is properly in place and that you submit documents from which the specific content of the business can be confirmed (past financial statements and the like).
Where the account is held does not directly affect whether the visa is granted or denied, so in practice this is the surest way to proceed.
You say that "for now I have left the regional bank account of the former head office as it is", but this is in fact your strongest asset at present.
In a first-time application for 「経営・管理」, what is checked in screening is that a valid bank account in the company's name exists in Japan and that the movement of business funds can be confirmed. Whether that account is in Kyoto or in another region does not directly affect whether permission is granted or denied.
Rather than wasting time trying to force a new account open, please use the account you have now (the account in its 3rd business year that is actually in use) and go ahead with the 在留資格認定証明書 (Certificate of Eligibility) application as it is.
Once the certificate has been issued, apply for a 査証 (visa) at the embassy or consulate where you are, come to Japan, obtain your 在留カード (Residence Card) and your certificate of residence, and then apply to open a new account at the counter of a city bank or a regional bank in Kyoto. The bank will then take you on smoothly as a resident.
Be ready to show, in documents, the substance of the new head office in Kyoto and the continuity of the business in its 3rd business year.
So that the new head office in Kyoto is not suspected of being a paper company (an address and nothing else), please have the following material ready.
Note that the amendment that came into force on 16 October 2025 (令和7年10月16日) includes changes that tighten the requirements, beginning with the rise in the capital or total contribution. As for business premises too, premises that double as your home are, as a rule, not accepted. Please secure premises used solely for the business, and be ready to show their substance.
In your 3rd business year, you should be able to submit the financial statements for the most recent year (the 2nd business year). Even if the most recent year was in the red, it will count in your favour if you can explain logically, through a new business plan reflecting the move of the head office, the prospect of returning to profit and the reasoning behind your investment.
A record of maintaining a company in Japan from abroad and keeping it going into its 3rd business year is a strong point in your favour in screening. Start by putting in order the financial statements for the past 2 business years and the documents that show the substance of the head office in Kyoto, and by drawing up a timetable for the 在留資格認定証明書交付申請.
You cannot apply on your own at the counter of a city bank or a regional bank. There is the option of appointing a joint representative resident in Japan for the time being, and the option of using an online bank that takes a flexible approach to companies whose representative is a non-resident.
No. What is checked in screening is that a valid account in the company's name exists in Japan and that the movement of business funds can be confirmed. Where the account itself is held does not directly affect whether permission is granted or denied.
Even if you are in the red, it will count in your favour if you can explain logically, through a new business plan, the prospect of returning to profit and the reasoning behind your investment. Please prepare that alongside the financial statements for the past 2 business years.
You apply in Japan for the 在留資格認定証明書, and once it has been issued you apply for a 査証 at the embassy or consulate where you are. Once you have come to Japan and obtained your 在留カード and your certificate of residence, opening a new corporate account also becomes straightforward.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.