What office property does a Business Manager residence status need? Property choice for Chinese-speaking founders

In short: A property accepted as an "office" for the Business Manager residence status rests on three things: an independent space clearly separated from a dwelling; a lease in the company's name, for business use; and a state recognizable as an office from the outside (a signboard/nameplate). The reform effective 16 October 2025 raised the capital/investment total to 30 million yen or more and requires at least one full-time employee, and a home-cum-office is in principle no longer accepted. We go as far as providing information on whether the property can serve as an office; the residence-status application and business plan are for an administrative scrivener, the incorporation for a judicial scrivener, and the capital/tax for a tax accountant — each under a separate contract.

This is written for founders from mainland China and Taiwan who will set up a company in Japan and seek the Business Manager residence status, and for the local professionals representing them. We organize the conditions for a property accepted as an office in the residence-status review, from the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, the landing-permission criteria ordinance and the Immigration Services Agency's guidance. We handle the real estate side — the property's independence, use and lease — and do not judge whether a residence status is possible or draft the business plan. Each of those areas is referred separately, under its own contract.

What are the conditions for a property accepted as an "office" in the review?

There are three pillars. First, an independent space clearly separated from a dwelling. Second, leased in the company's name, for business use. Third, in a state recognizable as an office from the outside with a signboard/nameplate. In addition, after the reform, an office commensurate with the scale of the business is required.

Business Manager is a residence status in Appended Table 1-2 of the Immigration Control Act, covering activities engaged in the management/administration of a business in Japan. The landing-permission criteria (the Ordinance establishing the criteria under Article 7(1)(ii) of the Act; Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 16 of 1990) require that an office for operating the business exist in Japan, or — if the business has not yet started — that a facility to be used as an office be secured in Japan. In the review, the Immigration Services Agency looks at whether the facility is an independent space, distinct from a dwelling or private space, that can be used continuously for the business.

Check item	Point looked at as an office
Independence	An independent space clearly separated from a dwelling/private space
Name / purpose	In the company's name, with a business-use purpose in the lease
Continuity	Usable continuously, not a monthly short-term space
Exterior	Recognizable as an office with a signboard/nameplate (one factor in the review)
Scale	Commensurate with the post-reform business scale (30 million yen capital, etc.) in area and substance

The final judgment on the office requirement is made individually by the Immigration Services Agency, so before securing a property it is wise to align with the administrative scrivener handling the application on the office's substance.

Can a home-cum-office or a virtual office pass the Business Manager visa?

After the 16 October 2025 reform, using a home as the office is in principle no longer accepted. A virtual office (renting only an address) and a shared part of a coworking space anyone can use likewise fail the office requirement in principle, because they do not show the substance of an independent office.

When the dwelling and office are the same space, it is hard to show the office's independence and substance, and after the reform the review tends not to pass here. For a private room/space in a rental office or an incubation facility, the judgment turns on whether, in the company's name, it is clearly separated and can be used continuously for the business. The points where you can incorporate via a virtual office yet fail the residence-status office requirement are set out in Setting up a company with a virtual office: what you can do, and where permits get stuck. We provide information on the property's independence, name and purpose; the residence-status feasibility is referred to an administrative scrivener.

Form	Office-requirement outlook
Home-cum-office	In principle not accepted after the reform
Virtual office (address only)	In principle not accepted (hard to show independent substance)
Shared coworking area	In principle not accepted
Private/exclusive room in a rental office	Room for acceptance with company name, clear separation, continuous use (individual judgment)
Independent business tenancy	Readily accepted as an office

How should the lease's name and purpose of use be written?

To be accepted as an office, the lease must be in the company's name (if pre-incorporation, with a plan to switch the name after incorporation) and the purpose of use set as business (office). Using it as an office while keeping a residential lease not only negates the office's substance but can breach the contract with the lessor.

Before contracting, confirm with the lessor/management company that office use is allowed and the purpose of use is stated, and in the important-matters explanation cover the use zone, use restrictions, restoration and whether a signboard may be installed. These are matters to clarify in the Article 35 important-matters explanation and the Article 37 document of the Real Estate Brokerage Act. We handle the property-side arrangements and the important-matters explanation, and the timing of incorporation and the name on the lease are advanced in roles split among the judicial scrivener handling incorporation and the administrative scrivener handling the residence-status application.

Contract point	Key point
Name	Company name (pre-incorporation: agree with the lessor on the post-incorporation name switch)
Purpose of use	State as business (office). Do not leave it as a residential lease
Signboard/nameplate	Confirm installation in the contract/management rules
Important-matters explanation	Use zone, use restrictions, restoration, costs (Art. 35, Art. 37 document)

When contracting from China or Taiwan, how do viewing and the important-matters explanation proceed?

Even before coming to Japan, you can proceed with online viewing and the IT important-matters explanation (using video conferencing, etc.) that the Real Estate Brokerage Act permits. The important-matters explanation is given based on a written explanation signed by a Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist, and the contract content is confirmed in the Article 37 document.

Where a non-resident or a pre-incorporation company is a party, checks absent from domestic deals pile up — identity documents, how signatures are taken, and the route of fund remittance (receipt from abroad). Remittance from mainland China can involve capital controls or receipt delays, so building slack into the settlement schedule is a practical key. We handle how the real estate deal proceeds and the important-matters explanation, and refer the capital payment, tax and the remittance-related residence-status/incorporation steps to a tax accountant, judicial scrivener and administrative scrivener respectively.

How it proceeds	Point
Viewing	Narrow candidates by online viewing; confirm on site when visiting if possible
Important-matters explanation	IT explanation by a Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist is possible (based on the signed written explanation)
Identity check	Identity of a non-resident/pre-incorporation company; how signatures are taken
Settlement	Build slack into the route and timing of overseas remittance

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What should you confirm with an administrative scrivener before deciding on a property?

Before securing a property, aligning with the administrative scrivener handling the application on "whether this space and these contract terms can likely meet the office requirement" is the shortcut to avoiding rework. Post-reform criteria such as 30 million yen or more in capital, at least one full-time employee, B2-level Japanese and management experience bear on the residence status as a whole, and the office's area and substance are viewed against this scale.

The overall picture and application proxy for founders from China/Taiwan obtaining Business Manager after the reform are set out in How founders from China and Taiwan obtain the Business Manager residence status: requirements and application proxy after the October 2025 reform. Existing residents have a transition measure until three years from enforcement (16 October 2028), but that is a residence-status matter and in the domain of an administrative scrivener.

Stage	Who	Content
① Pick a candidate office	Us	Provide information on independent space, use zone, name, purpose of use
② Align on requirements	Administrative scrivener + us	Advance check on whether the space/terms can meet the office requirement
③ Contract / explanation	Us	Business-use lease, important-matters explanation (Real Estate Brokerage Act Art. 35, Art. 37)
④ Incorporation	Judicial scrivener	Incorporation, switch to the company name (separate contract)
⑤ Capital / tax	Tax accountant	Payment of 30 million yen capital, tax (separate contract)
⑥ Residence-status application	Administrative scrivener	Business plan, residence-status application proxy (separate contract)

We handle the investigation of the property's independence, use and lease, the important-matters explanation, price and terms, brokerage and the lease/sale contract. The Business Manager residence-status application and business plan are for an administrative scrivener; the incorporation and the switch to the company name for a judicial scrivener; and the capital payment and tax for a tax accountant — each an independent business entity, separate from us. Where roles overlap, we clarify before the contract who handles what, and you contract with each separately. Each professional is engaged directly. We neither receive nor pay any referral fee or introduction commission. Consultations are free.

FAQ

Q. Can I get the Business Manager visa by using a room in my home as the office?
A. After the 16 October 2025 reform, using a home as the office is in principle no longer accepted. The premise is an office leased in the company's name, for business use, in an independent space separated from the dwelling. Because feasibility is a residence-status matter, confirm it with the administrative scrivener handling the application. We provide information on whether the property can serve as an independent space.

Q. Can a virtual-office address be accepted as an office?
A. A virtual office that rents only an address, and a shared coworking part anyone can use, do not meet the office requirement in principle, because they are hard to show as an independent office with substance. A private room in a rental office may be accepted with a company name, clear separation and continuous use, but this is an individual judgment. See the administrative scrivener's article on where incorporation and permits get stuck.

Q. Should the lease be in an individual's name or the company's name?
A. To be accepted as an office, a lease in the company's name for business use is the premise. Pre-incorporation, agree with the lessor on switching to the company name after incorporation. Using it as an office while keeping a residential lease negates the office's substance and can breach the contract with the lessor. Coordinate the timing of the name switch with the judicial scrivener handling incorporation.

Q. Can I decide on and contract a property before coming to Japan?
A. You can narrow candidates by online viewing and proceed with the IT important-matters explanation (using video conferencing, etc.) that the Real Estate Brokerage Act permits. Because checks absent from domestic deals pile up — identity of a non-resident/pre-incorporation company and the timing of receipt of overseas remittance — building slack into the settlement schedule is a practical key. Consult a tax accountant on capital remittance/tax and a judicial scrivener on incorporation.

Sources (primary information)

• e-Gov Law Search "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act" (Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951; Appended Table 1-2 = the "Business Manager" residence status; activities engaged in the management/administration of a business in Japan. Accessed 8 Oct 2026)
• e-Gov Law Search "Ordinance establishing the criteria under Article 7(1)(ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act" (Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 16 of 1990; landing-permission criteria for Business Manager; an office must exist in Japan (if not started, a facility to be used as an office must be secured). The reform effective 16 Oct 2025 raised capital/investment to 30 million yen or more and requires 1+ full-time employee. Accessed 8 Oct 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency "On the reform of the landing-criteria ordinance, etc. for the Business Manager residence status" (enforcement 16 Oct 2025; capital/investment total 30 million yen or more, 1+ full-time employee, B2-level Japanese (applicant or a full-time employee), management experience/education, home-cum-office in principle not accepted, transition measure until three years from enforcement (16 Oct 2028). Accessed 8 Oct 2026)
• e-Gov Law Search "Real Estate Brokerage Act" (Act No. 176 of 1952; Article 35 = important-matters explanation, Article 37 = delivery of a contract document. Accessed 8 Oct 2026)

• Whether a property is accepted as an office is finally judged by the Immigration Services Agency on individual circumstances. This article does not assert the treatment of an independent space, a signboard, etc.; such matters are treated as [unverified], on the premise of confirmation by an administrative scrivener and the Immigration Services Agency.
• The residence-status criteria on capital, employees, Japanese and management experience may change by reform and operation. This article is organized on the premise of the reform effective 16 Oct 2025; confirm the latest published content before applying.
• This article is general information, not an individual legal or tax judgment. The residence-status application and business plan are for an administrative scrivener; the incorporation for a judicial scrivener; and the capital payment and tax for a tax accountant.
• The investigation of the property's independence, use and lease, the important-matters explanation, brokerage and the lease/sale contract are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (real estate brokerage); the various professionals contract with you separately as independent business entities. There is no exchange of referral fees or introduction commissions. See Investment & commercial real estate and Commercial property consultation.

About the author

Joji Uramatsu — Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist (Tokyo Governor registration No. 293544) and Administrative Scrivener (registration No. 25087022). Representative Director of Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (real estate brokerage, Tokyo Governor (1) No. 113304) / Head of Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. Kohinata, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, about 5 minutes' walk from Myogadani Station. For Business Manager office properties, the independent space, use and lease are confirmed before the contract, with the residence-status application, incorporation and tax split by role among the respective professionals. See the author page for the full profile.