Startup Visa Programs (City and Prefecture): How They Work

The startup visa (起業準備活動, "business start-up preparation activities") is a temporary residence status, usually granted for six months with the possibility of extension, that lets a founder prepare a business in Japan without meeting the full requirements of a Business Manager (BM) visa from day one — no ready office or funds physically in Japan are required at the outset, a bare business plan is enough. Legally it is a subtype of the "designated activities" visa. Programs fall into two categories depending on the sponsoring authority: METI programs, which typically run 12 months with designated-activities status extendable up to 2 years, and NSSZ/Cabinet Office programs, run through municipalities, which typically run 6 months but grant full BM status for that period. An applicant may apply to only one program at a time, and applications go through JETRO. See: METI vs NSSZ Programs, City Options, and Interview Languages; Approval Statistics, Processing Times, and Rejection Patterns; Startup Visa Eligibility, Capital, and Business Plan Requirements; Boosting Startup Visa Approval Odds: Grants, Affiliations, and Benchmarks; Transition Paths Into the Startup Visa: From Student Status and via the 4-Month BM Visa. Sources: https://www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/en/jgc/reports/2024/8ce1e87400bdb68a/cabinetoffice_startupvisa_en.pdf — official JETRO overview of the Cabinet Office (NSSZ) startup visa program; https://www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/en/jgc/reports/2024/8ce1e87400bdb68a/meti_startupvisa_en.pdf — official JETRO overview of the METI startup visa program; https://expact.jp/japans-startup-visa/ — overview article on the mechanics of Japan's startup visa; https://www.startuplunch.club/japans-startup-visa-goes-nationwide-a-major-boost-for-international-founders/ — article on the nationwide expansion of the startup visa program.