Japanese economy has continued to recover after entering the 21st century and the labor force demand of Japanese domestic enterprises has been increasing especially in recent years. However, Japan is facing the problems of increased ageing population and low birth-rate, it results in shrinking labor force and an imbalance between jobs and applicants. In response to the labor shortage situation,  Japanese government published the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in April 2019 to solve the problems.  Japan is becoming one of the top options for many expats to work since the attractive welfare for employees provided by enterprises and government’s policy regarding to education, pension and medical.

This guide will introduce the Business Management Visa, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa and Intra-Company Transferee Visa. In accordance with the details of the visa application published by Japanese Government, Kaizen hereby summarizes the above visa application conditions and required materials for your kindly reference. We can provide further application services for all types of Japanese visas and you can contact our consultants for further discussion.

1.     Business Management Visa

(1)	Definition of Business Management Visa Japan entered a "low-desire society" after the bursting of its bubble economy in the 1990s. This has caused slow development of the economy. The Immigration Bureau of Japan established a "Japan Investment Business Visa" in 2006 in order to stimulate the Japanese economy. It was officially renamed as " Business Management Visa "（“経営・管理ビザ”）on 1st April 2015. Business Management Visa is issued for applicants who engage in business operation or managerial role in Japan (i.e. directors and managers of enterprises). Except for legal and accounting business operation and management that require professional qualifications.
(2)	Eligibility Criteria The applicant shall apply for this visa as the managerial role in the company. And the company shall lease a certified office in Japan for the purpose of carrying on business. The lease contract of this office shall be marked with "For Business Purpose”. The company’s name or office name can be confirmed with a house number of mailing address. The company shall also employ at least 2 Japanese locals (or Japanese permanent resident, Japanese spouse, Japanese permanent resident spouse, Japanese permanent Resident spouse) as full-time employees. Or the company's registered capital (or total capital contribution) shall reach more than 5 million yen. Applicants who apply for a visa as managers should also have at least three years of management experience in related businesses (including time spent studying in universities for such a major), and they must be paid equal or better than Japanese local labor market.
(3)	Validated Period of Entry and Length of Stay In principle, the entry validated period of  Business Management Visa shall be within 3 months from the date of obtaining the Visa, that is, the applicant shall enter Japan within 3 months after obtaining the Visa. The specific validity period shall be decided by the Embassy/Consulate General of Japan in different regions. The maximum length of stay for a single entry is 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 4 months, which are subject to review by the applicant's local Japanese embassy or consulate.
(4)	Required Documents Passport. Visa application form. Applicant’s photo. Business plan. Office lease contract and office photos. The applicant's CV. The applicant's educational certificate (such as graduation certificate, degree certificate) Applicant needs to submit two visa application forms and two photos if she/he is  a Russian, or the citizen of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or a Georgia State resident of the US. If the applicant is a Chinese, a copy of the household register and a Temporary Residence Permit are also required. In addition to the above materials, the Immigration Bureau of Japan and Embassy/Consulate General of Japan in different regions may require applicants to submit additional materials depending on the applicant's nationality. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact us for details.
(5)	Application Procedure Applicant needs to establish a company in Japan. Prepare business plan and submit to the Immigration Bureau of Japan for review. After the business plan is approved, applicant shall submit the application materials for the certificate of qualification to the Immigration Bureau of Japan. The Immigration Bureau of Japan shall review the application materials then issue the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence if there are no problems with the application materials (This process takes about 1 to 3 months). The applicant shall submit the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence obtained and other required materials to Embassy/Consulate General of Japan under his/her jurisdiction. Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will review the application. Business Management Visa will be issued upon approval. (Some Embassy/Consulate General of Japan may ask applicants to apply through its designated agencies instead of directly submitting).

2.     Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa

(1)	Definition of Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa Increased aging population in Japan cased the labor shortage in different industries such as IT, construction, taxation, legal, tourism, hotel, catering, etc. In order to attract the foreign workforce to fill the gaps in the domestic labor, Japan government set up the "Specialist Visa " and " Humanities/International Services Visa ". And then they have been combined as "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa on 1st April 2015 (“技術・人文知識・国際業務ビザ”)。 Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa is based on signed contract between public institutions or private institutions with applicants. The applicant should engage in activity which requires skills and knowledge in the field of natural science, social science and humanities or activity which requires thought and sense based on culture and language of foreign countries during their period of stay in Japan. Such as engineer, teacher and instructor of foreign language, IT technician, interpreter, editor, designer, etc. Applicant’s  shall not involve the following business/job: professors or teaching assistants(University or above), arts, media reports, business management, legal accounting, medical treatment, research, education (Primary and Secondary Schools), intra-company transfer, performance, etc.
(2)	Eligibility Criteria An university degree equivalent from Japanese local university, short-term university, professional school. Relevant work experience of generally 10yrs+ for Engineer / Specialist in Humanities and 3yrs+ for International Services. If the applicant is engaged in IT or design related science and engineering positions, he/she must pass the assessment of "Intelligence Processing Technology" formulated by the Minister of Justice of Japan. If the applicant is engaged in international business work such as Interpretation, Trade, Broadcasting and Publicity, she/he should have at least 3 years of relevant working experience. The applicant has no criminal record; The applicant must be paid as much or more for equal work as a Japanese employee; The employer's enterprise is in good operating condition.
(3)	Validated Period of Entry and Length of Stay In principle, the entry validated period of the engineer/humanities expert/international service visa is within 3 months from the date of obtaining the visa, that is, the applicant should enter Japan within 3 months after obtaining the visa. The specific period of validity is determined by the Embassy/Consulate General of Japan. The maximum length of stay for a single entry to Japan is 5 years, 3 years, and 1 year, which are determined by Embassy/Consulate General of Japan where the applicant lives.
(4)	Required Documents Passport. Visa application form. Applicant’s photo. Applicant’s labor contract. Applicant’s education certificate (such as graduation certificate). The applicant's CV. Managerial account of the company to be employed within 1 year. Applicant needs to submit two visa application forms and two photos if she/he is a Russian, or the citizen of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or a Georgia State resident of the US. If the applicant is a Chinese, a copy of the household register and a Temporary Residence Permit are also required. In addition to the above materials, the Immigration Bureau of Japan and Embassy/Consulate General of Japan in different regions may require applicants to submit additional materials depending on the applicant's nationality. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact us for details.
(5)	Application Procedure Applicant shall submit the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence to the Immigration Bureau of Japan. The Immigration Bureau of Japan will review the application materials. If there are no problems with the application materials, the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence will be issued (This process takes about 1 to 3 months). The Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence will be sent to the applicant by post. The applicant should submit the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence obtained and other required materials to Embassy/Consulate General of Japan. Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will review the application. Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa will be issued upon approval. (Some Embassy/Consulate General of Japan may ask applicants to apply through its designated agencies instead of directly submitting).

3.     Intra-Company Transferee Visa

(1)	Definition of Intra-Company Transferee Visa Intra-Company Transferee Visa (“企業内転勤ビザ”)  is for applicants (foreigners) who are now working for an organization outside Japan and will be transferred to group company (subsidiary, branch etc) located in Japan. Applicants should be engaged in business that involved related knowledge and technology in science and engineering, law, economics, and sociology, or have strong thinking and sensibility in foreign culture. For example, it’s the case that staff working for foreign company now is transferred to its subsidiary in Japan. Term of stay is 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. Intra-enterprise transfers include transfers between the head office and branches, transfers between the parent company and subsidiaries (including secondary subsidiaries, third subsidiaries, etc.), The following examples are possible transfer applicable to Intra-Company Transferee visa: transfer within the same company (head office to branch, branch to branch) transfer between parent company and subsidiary company. transfer between subsidiaries. transfer between subsidiary and sub-subsidiary. transfer between sub-subsidiaries. transfer between parent company and sub-subsidiary. transfer between parent/subsidiary company and affiliated/associated company.
(2)	Eligibility Criteria The applicant must sign an employment contract with the original enterprise and have been employed for at least one year, and she/he had the actual work performance. The applicant is supposed to be paid equally or more than that of Japanese who are engaged in the same field during his/her period of stay in Japan. The applicant must be engaged in the business scope specified in Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa. The applicant shall not engage in the business scope stipulated in Business Management Visa. The enterprise to be transferred to is in good operating condition. The applicant has no criminal record.
(3)	Validated Period of Entry and Length of Stay In principle, the entry validated period of the Intra-Company Transferee Visa is within 3 months from the date of obtaining the visa, that is, the applicant should enter Japan within 3 months after obtaining the visa. The specific period of validity is determined by the embassy or consulate in Japan. The maximum length of stay for a visit to Japan is 5 years, 3 years, and 1 year, which are determined by Embassy/Consulate General of Japan where the applicant lives.
(4)	Required Documents Passport. Visa application form. Applicant’s Photo, Applicant's transfer confirmation letter. Document to prove the transfer/relocation (e.g. Letter of Appointment etc. issued and signed by companies). Applicant’s labor contract. The applicant’s CV. Applicant needs to submit two visa application forms and two photos if she/he is  a Russian, or the citizen of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or a Georgia State resident of the US. If the applicant is a Chinese, a copy of the household register and a Temporary Residence Permit are also required. In addition to the above materials, the Immigration Bureau of Japan and Embassy/Consulate General of Japan in different regions may require applicants to submit additional materials depending on the applicant's nationality. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact us for details.
(5)	Application Procedure Applicant shall submit the application information for the certificate of eligibility to the Immigration Bureau of Japan. The Immigration Bureau of Japan will review the application materials. If there are no problems with the application materials, the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence will be issued (This process takes about 1 to 3 months). The Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence will be sent to the applicant by post. The applicant should submit the Certificate of Eligibility for the Status of Residence obtained and other required materials to Embassy/Consulate General of Japan. Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will review the application. Intra-Company Transferee Visa will be issued upon approval. (Some Embassy/Consulate General of Japan may ask applicants to apply through its designated agencies instead of directly submitting).

Reference:

1. Japan visa introduction

2. Japan Company Formation Service

KAIZEN Group is equipped with experienced and highly qualified professional consultants and is therefore well positioned to provide professional advices and services in respect of the formation and registration of company, application for various business licences and permits, company compliance, tax planning, audit and accounting in China. Please call and talk to our professional consultants for details.