Japan's practical visa routes: points, capital, or a six-month taste
Japan does not run one immigration system — it runs several, each rewarding something different. The Highly Skilled Professional visa rewards a CV you can score on an official points table. The Business Manager visa rewards capital and a genuinely operating company. The digital nomad status rewards a high remote income, but leads nowhere by design. For readers in Hong Kong and Taiwan all three doors are really open — and, as we verified, both places sit on Japan's official digital nomad eligibility list. The honest question is which door matches what you actually hold.
This guide is educational — rules change, so treat the official sources linked below as the authority before you act.
Key takeaways
- HSP is arithmetic, not a lottery: 70 points on the official table qualifies; permanent residence becomes available after 3 years at 70+ points — or just 1 year at 80+.
- Business Manager got much more expensive: revised in October 2025 to roughly ¥30 million of capital, plus staff and management experience.
- The digital nomad status (¥10M+/year income) is a 6-month, non-renewable taster that never counts toward permanent residence.
- For HK/TW applicants, JLPT study is literally points — Japanese ability sits on the HSP table.
The Highly Skilled Professional visa: points on a table
Japan's most elegant route is arithmetic. The Ministry of Justice publishes a points table covering academic background, annual salary, professional experience, age and Japanese ability, with extra points for things like graduating from a Japanese university or a strong research record. Score 70 and you qualify for Highly Skilled Professional status. The payoff is not the visa itself — it is the clock: HSP holders may apply for permanent residence after 3 years in Japan instead of the standard 10, and after just 1 year at 80 points. The status also carries a 5-year period of stay, preferential immigration processing, permission for a spouse to work, and — at higher income levels — for parents or domestic help to accompany you.
Who realistically clears 70? Broadly: someone young enough to still score age points, with a degree, a decent salary and JLPT N1 or N2. That profile describes a large share of mid-career professionals from Hong Kong and Taiwan — especially those who already studied Japanese.
Business Manager: the price of substance went up
For years the recipe was familiar: about ¥5 million of capital, a physical office, and either the money or a couple of full-time employees. That era ended in October 2025, when Japan rewrote the requirements. The commonly cited new bar: around ¥30 million of capital — six times the old figure — plus at least one full-time employee of Japanese-national or comparable status, and either three years of management experience or a relevant graduate degree. Immigration authorities always scrutinised substance — a rented office with no real activity was a classic refusal — and the tightening simply says it out loud: Japan wants operating businesses, not letterboxes.
The digital nomad status: a taste, not a path
Since 31 March 2024 Japan has offered a designated-activities status for remote workers: income of ¥10,000,000 or more per year from foreign sources, private medical insurance covering the stay, and a maximum of 6 months — no extension, a further 6-month wait before reapplying, and no residence card issued. Most importantly, time on this status does not count toward permanent residence. It is engineered as a long trial run, not an immigration route. One point that matters to this site's readers: Hong Kong and Taiwan are both on the official eligibility chart, which covers nationalities that combine visa-waiver access with a tax treaty. If the income bar fits, the door is genuinely open to both.
| Route | Core requirement | Max stay | Years to PR eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard work visa | Employer sponsorship in a covered occupation | 1–5 years, renewable | ~10 |
| Highly Skilled Professional (70+ points) | Degree, salary, age, Japanese and more on the official table | 5 years | 3 — or 1 at 80+ points |
| Business Manager | ~¥30M capital, an office, real operations, staff | Renewable | ~10 (no points shortcut) |
| Digital nomad status | ¥10M+/year foreign income, insurance | 6 months, non-renewable | Never — time doesn't count |
Practicalities for Hong Kong and Taiwan readers
Two things work in your favour. First, Japanese ability pays literal dividends: JLPT N1 and N2 sit on the HSP points table, and both the tests and preparatory courses are dense on the ground in Hong Kong and Taiwan — for many readers the fastest points available are the ones earned in a language classroom. Second, documentation: Japanese applications are paperwork-heavy, and getting Hong Kong or Taiwan documents accepted abroad usually means apostille or consular legalisation first — see our document guide. One honest closing note: the slow default remains the ordinary work visa — find a sponsor, renew, and wait roughly a decade for permanent residence. The three routes above are simply ways to shortcut that clock, with points, capital, or a high income.
Travel medical insurance for nomads
Japan's digital nomad status requires private health insurance as a condition of entry. Compare international medical plans before you apply.
Compare international plans →Key numbers last verified: October 2026
- HSP: 70 points qualifies; permanent residence after 3 years at 70+ points or 1 year at 80+ (standard routes: ~10 years); 5-year period of stay. Official points table (PDF)
- Digital nomad status: income ¥10,000,000+/year from foreign sources; stay 6 months, no extension, 6-month wait to reapply; private medical insurance required; time does not count toward permanent residence. MOFA · Immigration Services Agency
- Hong Kong and Taiwan are both on the official eligible-country chart for the digital nomad status. ISA chart (PDF)
- Business Manager (revised October 2025): capital about ¥30 million (previously ¥5 million), at least one full-time employee, 3+ years of management experience or a relevant graduate degree. Baker McKenzie summary
Rules change — always confirm with the official portal before you apply.
Related reading
- Digital nomad visas compared — how Japan's 6-month status stacks up against longer options elsewhere
- How to choose your emigration route — where work visas sit among the five doors
- Apostille and legalization for HK/TW documents — get the paperwork right before any application