Japan's Tightened Visa Rules Threaten Foreign Residents' Businesses and Dreams

Budhathoki Samjhana, a Nepalese national who established a successful restaurant business in Tokyo, faces the prospect of leaving Japan due to the country's increasingly stringent visa regulations for business managers. Despite Japan's acknowledged labor shortages and aging population, opposition to immigration has grown, leading the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to introduce new rules for business manager visas in late 2025.

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I always wanted to become a bridge between Japan and Nepal… but my dream is broken.

Samjhana, who spent a decade apart from her daughter to build a new life in Tokyo, now fears her dream of bridging Japan and Nepal is shattered. The new regulations impose a substantial increase in the capital requirement for businesses, raising it to 30 million yen ($185,000) from the previous 5 million yen ($30,000), a threshold Samjhana deems impossible to meet.

These stricter measures come amid public complaints about overtourism and soaring land prices, partly attributed to foreign investment. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has advocated for tighter regulations on foreign nationals. The government also recently increased visa fees for some tourists and is tripling a departure tax for all travelers. While business manager visa holders have a three-year grace period to adapt, many businesses, particularly popular eateries in Tokyo's Okubo district, worry about their ability to comply.

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The biggest problem is the increase in capital requirement to 30 million yen ($185,000) from 5 million ($30,000). It’s impossible.

Samjhana, who arrived in Japan as a student in 2016 and opened her first restaurant in 2023, had only recently reunited with her 14-year-old daughter, now enrolled in a Japanese school. "Now, I'm very worried not about myself but about my daughter... What did I do to her?" she expressed, her heart pounding at the thought of the next visa renewal.

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Now, I'm very worried not about myself but about my daughter… What did I do to her?

Manish Kumar, an Indian restaurant owner who has lived in Japan for three decades, has also been informed that his business manager visa will not be renewed, despite the grace period. Visa experts suggest immigration officials are becoming more rigorous in their demands for documentation. Kumar tearfully shared at a recent gathering that despite his children speaking only Japanese, they are being told to return to India.

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My children only speak Japanese… and we're told to go back to India.