Cultural Activities, Designated Activities, Evacuee Status, and Angel Investor Visas

The Cultural Activities visa (文化活動) is not available to all nationalities (the source material refers vaguely to "eligible countries" without specifics). Time spent on this visa does NOT count toward the residency period required for PR. It is issued for a term of 3 months to 3 years; it is formally a "non-profit" visa (working is not allowed), but income in the form of capital gains — from investing or trading — is permitted, making it suitable for investors and traders. It is also used for serious or casual study of a traditional craft (ceramics, aikido, calligraphy) under a specific sensei/teacher. One case mentioned in the community used this visa as a "fire escape" option while pausing business plans, for a period of up to roughly 2 years. A separate Designated Activities visa is available to holders of roughly $200,000-300,000 in assets (depending on the yen exchange rate), but only to citizens of the roughly 70 countries that have visa-waiver arrangements with Japan; citizens of former-USSR countries are not eligible. It allows staying in Japan for a year without visa runs, and holders can later transition to a Business Manager (BM) visa. A special status exists for evacuees from Ukraine, allowing them to do freelance/outsourcing work without the usual employment restrictions that apply to other statuses. A multiple-entry 90-day non-tourist visa "for business activity purposes" was mentioned in connection with the Antler accelerator, but according to a screenshot of the embassy website, this item's status has been suspended (unconfirmed opinion). The Angel Investor visa exists for investments of 100 million yen or more into other people's startups; it is not a favorable visa for entrepreneurs generally — it requires genuine capital investment. An unofficial initiative for a separate, simplified visa specifically for angel investors was reportedly taken up by immigration authorities a couple of years ago but has not been implemented — this is unverified. Sources: https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000738.html — Official MOFA page on the Designated Activities visa for high-net-worth individuals; https://lawoffice-yokoyama.com/info/angelinvestorsvisa/ — Law firm page describing the requirements of the angel investor visa.