Hong Kong News Network, September 4th. As the Japanese government tightens visa conditions for foreigners to operate businesses, foreigners who open companies and operate restaurants in Japan are accelerating their departure from Japan. According to a report by the Nikkei on September 2, in the first half of 2026, a total of 953 foreigners with "business management" qualifications left Japan without re-entry procedures, which was 3.9 times the same period last year.

Pedestrians walk with umbrellas on the streets of Tokyo, Japan, on June 3. 

"Global Times" reported that the trend of increasing foreign business operators leaving Japan has become obvious since the end of last year. Before the autumn of 2025, the number of people who left Japan without going through the required re-entry procedures was usually only a few dozen, increased to 114 in December of the same year, and further reached 100 to more than 200 people per month since this year.

Behind these changes is the fact that the Japanese government has significantly tightened the eligibility for business management from October 2025. According to the new regulations announced by the Administration Office of Japanese Entry and Exit Countries, the registered capital of foreigners operating companies in Japan is required to be increased from 5 million yen (100 yen is about 4.3 yuan) to more than 30 million yen; applicants must also have a master's degree in related fields, or have more than 3 years of operation or management experience. At least one qualified full-time employee must be employed.

The tightening policy of the Japanese government is related to the rapid increase in the number of foreign operators in recent years. By the end of 2025, the number of foreigners with business management qualifications has reached 46781, 1.7 times that of five years ago.

Five months after the implementation of the new regulations, the number of relevant applications decreased by about 96% compared with the previous one. At the same time, the number of foreigners leaving the country with business management status has also increased significantly. According to Japan's "Tokyo Shimbun" report, after the implementation of the new regulations, some physical shops originally operated by foreign entrepreneurs were forced to close.

The new Okubo area of Tokyo is a typical example. The region had previously faced a shortage of shop heirs, and foreign operators took over to fill the gap after some shops withdrew during the epidemic, according to a longtime reporter who interviewed local foreign residents. However, many local operators now say that it is not easy to raise 30 million yen of capital, and more and more foreign operators may choose to return home or close their shops in the future.

Many people are beginning to worry about the impact on the local economy. "The entrepreneurial spirit of foreigners supports the neighborhood economy, and I hope that this vitality will not be taken away," said Muco."

The Asahi Shimbun's previous editorials argued that 30 million the yen is not the size of capital needed to maintain stable operations in all industries. Less than 10% of the people who had already held the qualification of operation and management before the implementation of the new regulations had a capital of 30 million yen.