Dependent Visa (依存): Business Activity Rules, Income Thresholds, and Director Eligibility

The scope of business activity permitted on a dependent visa (依存) depends entirely on the status of the principal visa holder. A dependent of a Japanese national or of a Permanent Residence (PR) holder faces no restrictions on business activity at all. A dependent of a regular work-visa holder needs a part-time work permit (資格外活動) and is capped at 28 hours per week; a dependent of a Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) may work up to 40 hours per week, but this requires a separate permit for "high-skill activity." Unskilled labor is prohibited for dependents in either case. Once a dependent's annual income exceeds roughly 1,300,000 yen, questions can arise regarding social insurance and visa renewal; a dependent's income should not be comparable to that of the principal visa holder, since this creates a risk that immigration will require the dependent to switch to a Business Manager (BM) visa. The standard 28-hour permit is designed for hourly employment (convenience store, waitstaff); running a trading business or shop (for example, selling on Etsy) requires a different, second type of permit (an individual permit) rather than the standard hourly one. A separate sole proprietorship registration is not strictly necessary for this, but the tax return is always filed by the individual themselves. Whether a dependent-visa holder can serve as a company director is a disputed and unverified question — lawyers are not unanimous on it, and current understanding is that a dependent-visa holder cannot be a company director. A dependent can, however, set up a company and hire someone else (not themselves) as its director. Sources: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/procedures/nyuukokukanri07_00004.html — Official MOJ page with procedures for the dependent visa.