TOKYO - A Nikkei analysis of Japanese immigration data found 953 Business Manager status holders made simple departures in the first half of 2026, nearly four times the year-earlier total.

The figure was 3.9 times the 246 recorded from January through June 2025.

A simple departure means leaving Japan without preserving an existing residence status through re-entry permission. The Immigration Services Agency's departure statistics distinguish these cases from foreigners who leave under re-entry arrangements, such as for temporary overseas trips.

The rise came after Japan tightened its Business Manager requirements on Oct. 16, 2025. The new rules raised the required capital or business investment from ¥5 million to ¥30 million and required at least one full-time employee from specified resident categories, such as a Japanese national, permanent resident or long-term resident.

Either the applicant or a full-time employee must also demonstrate Japanese proficiency equivalent to at least B2. Applicants themselves must have a master's-equivalent or higher degree related to management or their business field, or at least three years of business management experience.

The departure data do not show why people left, so they cannot establish how many of the 953 departures were caused by the tighter rules. Foreign entrepreneurs had nevertheless raised concerns about meeting the new requirements.

Nepalese restaurant owner Budhathoki Samjhana told AFP in July, "The biggest problem is the increase in capital requirement to ¥30 million from ¥5 million. It's impossible."

Existing Business Manager holders receive transitional treatment through Oct. 16, 2028. Immigration authorities say failing to meet the new criteria before then does not by itself require a renewal application to be rejected.

Even after the transition, having less than ¥30 million alone will not automatically result in refusal if the business is in good condition, taxes are properly paid and the applicant is expected to meet the new standards by the next renewal.