JJapan Finance

Business Manager Visa Holders: Can retained earnings count toward the new ¥30M capital requirement?

  • October 11, 2025

With the new BM rules, those of us already on the BM visa now have until October 2028 to raise our company’s 資本金 (paid-in capital) from ¥5M to ¥30M.

What’s still unclear to me is how this will actually be evaluated for renewals versus new applications.

For a new BM visa application, immigration doesn’t just look at the capital listed on your company’s 登記簿 (registry). They require proof of actual foreign capital injection (外部からの実質的な出資). Because of that, simply capitalizing retained earnings (利益剰余金の資本組入) isn’t enough for a new application. You need to show the source of funds and the overseas remittance trail.

However, for those of us who are already living in Japan and operating businesses, the rule has traditionally only mattered at the initial visa application stage, not at renewal.

So this creates a grey area:

If the new ¥30M requirement is enforced at renewal, will immigration accept retained earnings as part of that capital increase? Or will they expect us to inject new funds from abroad all over again?

by ibopm

5 comments

  1. Just as a note on 利益剰余金の資本組入, if I recall correctly that can only be done for a KK and not a GK company.

  2. I think they’ll be okay with 利益剰余金の資本組入, otherwise it’s just not realistic.

    Otherwise, at that point it’s cheaper to liquidate the company, take the earnings with 20% dividend tax and then incorporate again with the same funds, and re-apply for the visa.

  3. > For a new BM visa application, immigration doesn’t just look at the capital listed on your company’s 登記簿 (registry). They require proof of actual foreign capital injection (外部からの実質的な出資). Because of that, simply capitalizing retained earnings (利益剰余金の資本組入) isn’t enough for a new application. You need to show the source of funds and the overseas remittance trail.

    I guess you take the retained earnings out as a dividend, send it overseas, and then inject the capital from there.

  4. I’m not trusting the whole “at discretion” part of that, so I’m trying to get this done by my next renewal in August next year.

  5. I had a talk with a representative and they told me I do not need to inject new funds. All the money I invested until the renewal should be above the 30m threshold. No need to have 30m in the bank. Just need to show you already invested 30m yen.

    But please double check with someone else.

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