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）
Even in an industry you have no experience in, it is possible to obtain the 経営・管理 visa if you can prepare a business plan that covers the key points. However, the amendment that came into force on 16 October 2025 (2025年10月16日) has made screening considerably stricter. 3 things are the key: the logic of "why can I, without experience, succeed", objective grounds for the way sales and expenses are calculated, and a plan that has been confirmed by a specialist.
The enquirer wants to start a business in an industry they have never worked in, and is worried that a lack of experience will lead to a denial.
The capital threshold was raised to at least 30 million yen (3,000万円), and the employment of a full-time employee and confirmation of the business plan by a specialist were added.
Before turning to those points, you need a correct understanding of the amendment that came into force on 16 October 2025 (2025年10月16日). The main changes to the criteria for landing permission are as follows.
Behind this amendment lies an intention to exclude paper companies with no substance, and cases where a business is set up in form only for the sake of residence, and to accept managers who run a business with real substance.
Because the sums of money involved have grown larger and the employment of a full-time employee is now required, the Regional Immigration Services Bureau examines the business plan thoroughly to see "whether this business really has the continuity and stability to pay employees' salaries every month and keep the company going". For an application in an industry you have no experience in, in particular, the quality of the plan has a large bearing on the outcome.
The above are the main changes. The requirements added by the amendment are not necessarily limited to these, so please check the latest criteria before you apply.
You prove, on the basis of your past record, that you have the management ability of a manager, even though the industry is different.
The first question the screening officer will have is "how will you run the business when you have no experience in that industry?". You need to build a clear answer to this, as a piece of logic, at the beginning of the business plan (in the account of why you are founding the business and of the manager's career).
Suppose, for example, that you want to open a restaurant with no experience in the trade. Even without experience in food and drink, if you were a project manager at an IT company in your home country, you can make your case as follows.
"I have no experience of cooking or serving customers as such, but the ability to manage 'people' (staffing and labour management), 'things' (process management) and 'money' (budget and cost management) that I built up in my previous job connects directly to running a restaurant."
Even though the industry is different, you prove on the basis of your past record that you have the qualities of a manager, that is, management ability.
For specialist knowledge you cannot cover on your own (cooking in food and drink, programming in IT, and so on), show that you have professionals from that industry on your team from the outset.
By including these in the plan and showing a division of roles — "I will concentrate on management and marketing, and leave the practical work on the ground to experienced people" — you can get over the barrier of having no experience.
Show not the figures themselves, but the calculation that leads to them and the objective grounds for it.
A plan that simply lines up plausible-looking figures in a template picked up on the internet will not do. Realistic cash flow is required, sufficient to maintain capital of 30 million yen (3,000万円) and 1 full-time employee.
When you make a sales forecast, you must show the calculation and the grounds that lead to the figure.
Since you have no experience, a plan made of words alone will not be believed. What decides the matter is how much objective evidence you can attach to show that the business is already up and running, or that it is certain to start.
Attaching these as annexes to the business plan greatly increases how real the plan appears.
From the preparation stage, before incorporation and before signing for premises, have both a visa specialist and a management specialist in your team.
The most practical hurdle in this amendment is confirmation of the business plan by a specialist such as a registered management consultant (chusho kigyo shindanshi), a certified public accountant or a certified tax accountant (submission of an assessment or a confirmation document).
The scheme is that only a plan assessed as highly feasible and sustainable in the eyes of a Japanese business or finance professional will be accepted, rather than a "pie in the sky" drawn up by the applicant alone.
If you are starting a business in an industry you have no experience in, it is extremely difficult to produce a plan that clears this check on your own. It is therefore essential to put the following in place from the preparation stage, before incorporation and before signing for premises.
Only by bringing these 2 perspectives together do you arrive at a business plan that convinces the screening officer and that a specialist can also confirm.
Now that the requirements have been raised, applying with half-hearted preparation carries a high risk. Put the other way round, if you can prepare a plan with sound logic and numerical grounds, supported by specialists, a way forward is open even in an industry you have no experience in.
That is not so. If you can prepare a business plan that covers the key points, it is possible to obtain it even in an industry you have no experience in. Screening has become stricter, however, so the quality of the plan has a large bearing on the outcome.
Under the amendment that came into force on 16 October 2025 (2025年10月16日), the capital or total contribution is stated to be at least 30 million yen (3,000万円). The employment of at least 1 full-time employee is also required.
Under the amendment, you are required to submit a business plan that has been confirmed by a specialist such as a registered management consultant (chusho kigyo shindanshi), a certified public accountant or a certified tax accountant. You need to have specialists in your team from the preparation stage.
Show not only the amounts but the calculation and the grounds that lead to them. Set out the breakdown, such as average spend per customer, the assumed number of customers and the days of operation, together with objective backing such as data on comparable businesses in the area.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.