Transitioning from Business Manager Visa to Managing My Company from Overseas Exit Strategy

Hi everyone,

I’ve had a Business Manager Visa for a few years, and I only stayed in Japan as much as required to manage my company.

Since living in Japan isn’t my main priority anymore, I’ve been thinking about managing the company from overseas. With the recent updates to the Business Manager Visa requirements, this option now seems even more practical for me.

I’d like to start planning an exit strategy so I can run things remotely while keeping everything compliant and running smoothly.

I’m curious if anyone here has direct experience with this, and I have a few specific concerns:

1. Corporate Bank Account

I assumed my residence status would not affect an existing corporate bank account, but I found information suggesting that some banks may require a resident signatory and could freeze or close accounts if there is no resident director.

I’m not sure how up-to-date this information is or how strictly it is enforced. Would corporate credit cards be affected in the same way?

1. Personal Income Tax & Social Insurance

After deregistering my jūminhyō, I believe I would no longer need to pay residence tax, and income tax would likely be withheld at 20% as a company director.

Regarding social insurance, I’ve found conflicting information: some sources suggest that as long as you work for a Japanese company, you must remain enrolled, regardless of where you live.

I’m not sure if this applies only to temporary overseas dispatches or also to permanent overseas residents.

1. Office Rental Contract

I plan to keep renting my current office as long as my business operates. In my past experience, I haven’t needed to show a residence card during contract renewal.

However, if I ever need to rent a new office, would my company be able to do so without a director’s residence card?

1. Tax Representative

After deregistering my jūminhyō, I plan to appoint my company as my tax representative to handle my personal tax matters.

Since my company is a separate legal entity (国内法人), is it correct to assume that there’s no need to appoint a tax representative for the company, even if there’s no resident director?

I’ve been asking my administrative scrivener a few questions, but they don’t seem very familiar with some of these topics.

There are also other details I’m considering regarding how to best structure my business, such as whether to appoint a resident representative or relocating my company entirely or keeping my current company while establishing a new one in another country

I’d like to compare the pros and cons of each approach.

If anyone has direct experience managing a Japanese company from overseas, I’d greatly appreciate any insights. Also, does anyone know tax accountants or professionals who specialize in this kind of situation?

Thank you in advance.