Self-employed couple (個人事業主) — pair home loan experiences?

Hi,

Me (PR) and my wife (Japanese) are looking to buy land in central Tokyo and build a house. We’re both self-employed in Japan (個人事業主) and hoping to get a pair home loan.

Our pre-screening results haven’t been great so far, and we’re planning to apply to 2–3 more banks. We’re even considering giving up on the pair loan at this point.

Current situation:

• Resona: willing to lend to only one of us
• Mizuho: only one of us + around half the amount needed
• UI Bank: rejected
• SBI Shinsei: passed pre-screening

Any recommendations or experiences from other self-employed couples here?

Thanks!