Japan residence and citizenship

Business Manager — owner or manager

Business owner/manager requires JPY 30 million paid-in capital or qualifying business spending (USD 189,937.21 at ECB 9 Nov 2026 EUR 1 = USD 1.1193 = JPY 176.79), plus a qualifying full-time employee. The applicant or full-time employee must have B2-equivalent Japanese; the applicant also needs a qualifying graduate degree or three years' business management experience under the October 2025 rules. This is business investment, not a passive golden visa. No route-wide entry fee or decision bound established; in-country change or extension fees vary. Ordinary naturalization after five qualifying years, subject to discretion.

Sources: Business Manager status (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Business Manager October 2025 criteria (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Euro foreign exchange reference rates (European Central Bank), Guidelines for permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice), 2025 Business Manager rule changes (Fragomen, summary)

Digital Nomad designated activities

Eligible treaty/visa-waiver nationality and foreign remote work with annual income at least JPY 10 million. This is income, not an investment. Six-month stay cannot be renewed and no residence card is issued; a six-month gap is required before reapplication, so it is not a durable PR or citizenship route. No fee or decision bound stated.

Sources: Digital Nomad designated activities (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Digital Nomad FAQ (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Permanent residence — ordinary ten-year route

Ordinary applicant generally needs ten continuous years in Japan, including at least five with qualifying work/residence status and fulfilment of tax and other duties. The cited source does not establish a uniform current application fee or decision bound here. PR is not required for naturalization; five qualifying years is the separate naturalization minimum.

Sources: Guidelines for permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Permanent residence — highly skilled accelerated route

Qualifying highly skilled professional with 80 points may apply after one continuous year; 70 points after three. These are alternative PR residence tests. No investment minimum, uniform fee or decision bound established. Naturalization is a separate discretionary five-year process.

Sources: Highly skilled accelerated permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Permanent residence — qualifying family exception

For applications through March 2027, the February 2026 guideline allows a spouse with three years of genuine marriage and one continuous Japanese residence year, or a qualifying child with one residence year, to seek PR. The published October 2026 revision generally starts April 2027 and will require five marriage years and three residence years, or three residence years for qualifying children. No investment, universal application fee or decision bound established. Citizenship is separate and family-specific.

Sources: February 2026 permanent residence guideline (Japan Immigration Services Agency), October 2026 permanent residence guideline, generally effective April 2027 (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Status of residence list (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Startup Visa — approved entrepreneur preparation

Entrepreneur preparing a business under a certified local authority or private operator may stay up to two years, then must qualify for an appropriate longer-term status such as Business Manager. The official overview states no universal capital floor, fee or decision time. This preparation status alone is not an assured permanent-residence path, so no citizenship clock is assigned.

Sources: Startup-related policies (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Business Manager status (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

J-Find future-creation job or startup search

Qualifying graduate of an eligible overseas university may seek work or prepare a startup for up to two years. A later qualifying work or business status is needed for a durable residence path. The source gives no fixed investment, application fee or processing bound; no citizenship clock is asserted for this preparatory status alone.

Sources: J-Find future creation visa (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Long-Term Resident status

Discretionary status for qualifying special circumstances such as Japanese descent; five continuous years in this status can meet the PR residence exception under the October 2026 guideline. No investment, uniform fee or decision bound established. Ordinary naturalization has a five-year statutory floor but no assured status-specific clock.

Sources: Status of residence list (Japan Immigration Services Agency), February 2026 permanent residence guideline (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Highly Skilled Professional — points route

Qualifying highly skilled professional under the points system. Eighty points can shorten the permanent-residence residence test to one year; seventy points to three years. These are PR eligibility periods, not citizenship grants. No investment floor, route-wide fee or processing bound established. Ordinary naturalization still requires five qualifying years.

Sources: Benefits for highly skilled professionals (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Highly skilled accelerated permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

J-Skip special highly skilled professional

Special highly skilled employee or business manager meeting advanced career and income criteria; income is not an investment minimum. May qualify for accelerated permanent residence under the highly skilled rules. No universal fee, investment or decision bound stated; ordinary citizenship after five qualifying years.

Sources: J-Skip special highly skilled professionals (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Highly skilled accelerated permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Employer-sponsored skilled work

Foreign professional employed in Japan under an eligible work status such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. Employer, occupation and qualification determine eligibility. No capital investment, route-wide fee or processing bound is established. Ordinary PR generally requires ten continuous years, five under a qualifying work/residence status; naturalization can be sought after five qualifying years.

Sources: Qualifying work statuses (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Guidelines for permanent residence (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)

Spouse or child of Japanese national or permanent resident

Qualifying spouse or child receives a family-based residence status. For applications through March 2027, the February 2026 PR guideline allows spouses of Japanese citizens, permanent residents or special permanent residents with three years of genuine marriage and one continuous year in Japan; qualifying children need one continuous year. The October 2026 revision generally applies only from April 2027 and then increases these periods to five marriage years and three residence years. No investment, uniform fee or decision bound established. Naturalization has family exceptions, so no universal clock.

Sources: Status of residence list (Japan Immigration Services Agency), February 2026 permanent residence guideline (Japan Immigration Services Agency), October 2026 permanent residence guideline, generally effective April 2027 (Japan Immigration Services Agency), Nationality Q&A (Japan Ministry of Justice)