The Japanese government’s recent regulatory overhaul targeting foreign businesses has triggered a sudden tightening of immigration enforcement across the country. As part of a nationwide crackdown on shell companies and suspected migration loopholes, immigration authorities have denied visa renewals for long-term foreign business owners who historically relied on continuous visa extensions rather than permanent residency.
Under this tightened regulatory framework, Indian restaurateur Manish Kumar received an order to leave Japan after residing in the country for 30 years. Kumar operated a curry restaurant in Saitama Prefecture for 18 years before his business manager visa renewal application was rejected by immigration officials.
Kumar made an emotional public statement during a gathering on May 13 that has circulated widely on social media platforms. “My children were born here and are now in high school; they can only speak Japanese and have only Japanese friends,” Kumar said. “I worked hard and even bought a house. To tell me unilaterally to go back to India – how is that humane?”
The revised business manager visa policy introduced strict new operational metrics for foreign entrepreneurs. According to a report by India Today, the government increased the minimum capital requirement six-fold from 5 million yen to 30 million yen, which equates to approximately $190,000. Additionally, the new guidelines mandate that applicants demonstrate a Japanese language proficiency equivalent to the JLPT N2 level.
Following the implementation of these capital and language requirements, Japanese media tracking data showed a 96% drop in business manager visa applications. A Change.org petition protesting the strict enforcement gathered nearly 60,000 signatures and was formally submitted to Japan’s Immigration Services Agency this week. Japanese lawmaker Kimi Onoda publicly defended the policy revisions, stating that previous issues regarding the exploitation of the visa program for migration have been largely allayed.