'My Dream is Broken': Japan Visa Rules Push Out Foreign Residents

In a small Tokyo restaurant, Nepalese national Budhathoki Samjhana faces a broken dream. She built her business from scratch over a decade, but new Japanese visa rules, introduced in late 2025 by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, threaten her ability to stay.

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My dream is broken.

Japan, facing an aging population and labor shortages, is tightening regulations on foreign nationals. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government recently increased visa fees five-fold for some tourists. For business manager visa holders like Budhathoki, a three-year grace period exists, but the new capital requirement of 30 million yen ($185,000), up from 5 million yen ($30,000), is deemed impossible by many.

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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.

Budhathoki, who came to Japan as a student in 2016, saved for years to open her first restaurant in 2023. After opening her third eatery in January, she finally brought her 14-year-old daughter from Nepal, who is 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 said, her heart pounding at the thought of her 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?

Indian restaurant owner Manish Kumar, a resident for three decades, has already been informed his visa won't be renewed, despite the grace period. Visa experts suggest immigration officials are now more rigorous in their demands for documentation. "My children only speak Japanese... and we're told to go back to India," Kumar stated tearfully at a recent gathering. A petition opposing the new rules has garnered over 67,800 signatures, with organizer Taro Tsurugashima calling Kumar's situation "shocking."

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