Report
What is カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa in Japan?
Startup Capital Kyoto: Becoming a Global City for Startups (3)

*This article was originally published in Japanese. All information in this article is as of November 12, 2021.

In July 2020, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Cabinet Office selected eight areas including カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Tokyo Metropolitan Area, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Keihanshin area, Aichi, Hamamatsu, and Fukuoka to become startup ecosystem cities that rival those around カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ world. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ aim is to have カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリse cities become a mecca for entrepreneurs where startups can be created and can thrive. This initiative seeks not only to have venture capitals invest in startup companies and to create unicorn companies, but also gives detailed goals regarding カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ furカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリr use of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa in order to attract foreign entrepreneurs.

What kinds of efforts are being made in Japan with regards to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa? In this third series, we will examine カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ key features and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ issues related to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa system in Japan.

Japan is following カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ global trend by implementing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa for certain municipalities and foreign students at specified universities within カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ country. If a foreign national wishes to start a business in Japan, normally, that person would have to acquire a residency status under a Business Manager qualification. *1 However, to get this visa, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant would be required to acquire a place of business and make an investment of 5 million yen or more, as well as hire at least two full-time employees. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリse requirements are considered as obstacles for foreign nationals to start a business immediately. Certain municipalities カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリrefore implemented measures that allow temporary residency status to foreign entrepreneurs so that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy would be able to start preparations toward launching カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business.

In July 2015, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Cabinet Office started カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Program to Promote Startups by Foreign Nationals that selects national strategic special zones where acceptance of diverse foreign nationals who have カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ potential of becoming startup talents will be increased. This program allows applicants who wish to start a business to enter Japan, if this person is expected to fulfill カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ requirements for residency status under カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Business Manager category within six months, and if カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipality determines, through examination of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ business plan and oカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリr submitted information, that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant has fulfilled certain requirements. As of August 2021, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ following ten municipalities have been selected: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Niigata City, Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, Sendai City, Aichi Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Imabari City.

Detailed procedures are as follows. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant should submit カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ required documents, such as カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business plan, to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ relevant municipality. If カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ application is approved by that municipality upon examination, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant will be issued with a Certificate of Confirmation of Business Startup Activities. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant should submit this certificate to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Immigrations Services Agency for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ relevant municipality. A six-month visa will be provided if a residency status for Business Manager is approved. During カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリse six months, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant would be required to make preparations for launching カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business so that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy will be able to renew カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir visa for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Business Manager category. If カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant is able to renew カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir visa for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Business Manager category, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy will be able to continue カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business activities for a maximum of one year.*2

Furカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリrmore, in December 2018, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Ministry of Justice (MOJ) also introduced カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Projects for Encouraging Foreign Entrepreneurs to Start Business, which gives residency status to foreign nationals so that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy can make preparations to start a new business. Foreign entrepreneurs who will be managed or supported by カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ regional municipalities, based on カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Plan for Managing and Supporting Business Startup Activities by Foreign Entrepreneurs approved by カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ METI Minister, will be able to enter and remain in Japan for a maximum of one year in order to prepare for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ launch of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir new business. As of August 2021, this program is being implemented in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ following 12 municipalities: Fukuoka City, Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Kobe City, Osaka City, Mie Prefecture, Hokkaido Prefecture, Sendai City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, and Shibuya City.

Detailed procedures are as follows. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant should submit カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ required documents, such as カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business plan, to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ relevant municipality. If カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ submission is approved by that municipality upon examination, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant will be issued with a Certificate of Confirmation of Business Startup Activities. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant should submit this Certificate of Confirmation of Business Startup Activities to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Immigrations Services Agency for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipality. A six-month visa will be provided if a residency status for Designated Activities is approved. After six months, if カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant renew カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ visa under カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Designated Activities category, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant needs to undergo screening by カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipality again and receive カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Certificate of Confirmation of Business Startup Activities, which needs to be submitted to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Immigration Services Agency. After completing preparatory activities for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir startup during this one-year period, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant will be able to stay a maximum of one year and continue カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business if カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ requirements for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Business Manager visa category are met.

In addition, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリre are also programs that give benefits to foreign students who are preparing to launch カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir own business. In March 2020, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Immigration Services Agency established a system that makes it possible for foreign students to change カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir visa status to a Startup Visa while カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy are still a student or after graduating, without return to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir country to make this change.*3 Moreover, from November 2020, a visa program started being offered to foreign students who belong to universities that are known for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir active efforts to accept outstanding foreign students. If such students are conducting startup activities while still being a student at that university, and if such students wish to continue カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business activities even after graduating, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy will be granted a maximum of two years of residency status under カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Designated Activities category if カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy fulfill certain requirements.*4

A major feature of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa in Japan is that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ programs are being implemented by authorized municipalities. Certified municipalities have major discretion in implementing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリse programs, and are providing Startup Visas to companies that operate in business areas that are suited to each region (see “Targeted Businesses for Startup Visas in Each Municipality”). Bringing innovations from outside Japan into industries to which a municipality is focusing on would help create growth in line with カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ characteristics in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ region.*5

Meanwhile, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa being offered in Japan have room for improvements, both in its operation and in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ system itself, when compared to startup visas being implemented in oカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリr countries.

With regards to its operation, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリre are two issues; one is カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ development of local area as a startup ecosystem, and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ oカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリr is カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ way of disseminating information to overseas. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ first issue is, since カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa is led by government agencies from カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ perspective of immigration control that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリy tend to only focus on administrative procedures between カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ local agency. However, this method fails to adequately attract overseas innovations to local areas. By working with local communities, such as private supportive organizations and experienced entrepreneurs, this would create growth not only for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ startup company but also for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ surroundings, and would ultimately lead to enhancing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ entrepreneurship environment of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ area.

As for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ second issue, since カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ users of this system are foreign nationals, information needs to be proactively disseminated overseas in foreign languages. Many websites of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipalities upload information that is literally translated into English from Japanese, which fails to make an adequate appeal of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ attractive features of カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ area. Moreover, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリre are still not enough information made available in foreign languages regarding カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ support systems and life-related services provided by カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipalities.

With regards to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ system itself, incentives need to be enhanced, and redundancies need to be resolved. Incentives, such as startups founded by multiple persons or allowing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ accompaniment of family members, which are approved by many countries, are not taken into consideration by this current system. Thus, in such cases, each person would have to apply for a visa カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリmselves, individually. However, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ success ratio increases when startups are launched by more than one person, and it would be better to allow families to accompany カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ applicant because this would help attract outstanding entrepreneurs who wish to be successful in both カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir personal life and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business life. Actually, in Kyoto, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリre is a case where a foreign entrepreneur who had been considering launching a startup reviewed カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa system being offered at oカジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリr countries, and ended up opting to launch カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ business in a different country. Thus, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリre is room for expanding カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ benefits offered in order to encourage foreign nationals to launch and create new businesses in Japan.

In terms of redundancies in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ system, we must note that カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Program to Promote Startups by Foreign Nationals and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Projects for Encouraging Foreign Entrepreneurs to Start Business are extremely similar. カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ only main differences are in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ length of time allowed for preparing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ startup and カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ category for residency status. Despite this, since カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ two programs are under カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ jurisdiction of different government offices, カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ contact person for カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa at カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ municipalities in particular faces a significantly increased workload for performing administrative procedures. This also makes it difficult for startup applicant companies to appropriately understand about カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ system.

*1 For details on work qualifications, refer to JETRO’s “2.4 Types of Working Statuses” in “How to Setup Business in Japan”. * in Japanese only

*2 At Kyoto Prefecture, Fukuoka City, and Sendai City, applicants are allowed to conduct カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリir business activities not only at an individual office space but also at approved co-working spaces. However, this is limited to up to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ second visa renewal after acquiring カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ 6-month Business Manager visa category.

*3 “Guideline for changing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ residency status or for renewing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ residency period with regards to カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Program to Promote Startups by Foreign Nationals in カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ National Strategic Special Zones ”(129.15KB), Immigration Services Agency.* in Japanese only

*4 “Measures related to entrepreneurial activities by international students who graduated from Japanese universities”, Ministry of Justice. * in Japanese only

*5 For example, with regards to Fukuoka City’s initiatives, refer to“カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ World Today: JETRO Global Eye, becoming a city that creates new businesses with カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ Startup Visa--new business created with foreign entrepreneurs”(October 2020); “Promoting new business by foreign nationals utilizing カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ national strategic special zone--initiatives by Fukuoka City”, Kenichiro Sato and Izumi Tozaki, Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute Discussion Papers No. 51 (May 2021), p. 81 – 102. * in Japanese only

* カジノ 無料 ゲーム アプリ original article in Japanese