I work and have a job here. I also have a Youtube channel where i make videos as a side job. I have permission and i pay taxes as a sole proprietor.
Several years ago, I saw someone mention on /r/japanlife that you can’t just start any business and get business manager visa. The business has to have a reason for it to be Japan
But it’s come to my attention that this isn’t actually true? There doesn’t seem to be any requirement for something like that for business manager visa. All you need is just some capital, your own office, and just a way to obtain reliable stream of income (which i already have). There are plenty of foreign owned businesses that don’t actually really need to be in Japan here in Japan as well when i think about it.
So now it got me thinking.. Couldn’t I technically just register my youtube channel as a company here and just switch to a business manager visa?
FYI the channel has absolutely nothing to do with Japan or Japanese culture. i have no plans to be another youtube making 1000th video about vending machines. I have no Japanese client and no Japanese viewers. The channel is all english.
Wondering if it’s possible
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by Sea_Caregiver_1677
3 comments
Mark. I’ll be in a very similar situation soon so I need answer too
You’d have to write a business plan and it would need to show how your business is beneficial to the Japanese economy. Your business plan must be approved by relevant authorities.
Plus you need 5m in a bank account.
You must show not only enough additional capitol or steady income to support yourself but also that you have enough to hire a full-time citizen (or permanent resident or LRE). Minimum full-time pay being something like 2.3 million per year…although actually that minimum is based on what would another company pay your employee to do same job, not just minimum wage for 40 hours a week. Thus it could be higher than 2.3 m a year.
You should get Japanese viewers, Japanese sponsors, and proof that your adsense income is generated by Japanese companies spending on ads.
>There are plenty of foreign owned businesses that don’t actually really need to be in Japan here in Japan as well when i think about it.
You never know the true story behind these businesses. They can be foreign branches/subsidiaries backed by the right kinds of capital. They can be owned by spouses, families, permanent residents or citizens who can do anything they want. You won’t have the same freedom while on a business manager visa.
Because you are required to have a business plan, you need to prove you can earn profit in the future, not just backed by past success. The best proof of ongoing income would be contracts, and that is usually sponsorship, or that you help run other people’s channels.
You can technically get into one of those influencer agencies in Japan…they might “hire” you on a contract. They get a percentage on your youtube revenue, while they may either hook you up with other sponsors, commercial endorsements, and collabs, depending on what kind of content you make.
You can employ Japanese citizens as your staff, ideally on full time payroll so that the business looks more relevant.