Japan campaigners urge review of tougher business visa rules

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Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for a review of newly tightened Japanese business visa requirements, as a video of an emotional speech by an Indian restaurant owner spread widely online.

The rule was revised late last year, requiring applicants to have 30 million yen ($190,000) in capital, up from 5 million yen, due to concerns that the system was being abused.

However, campaigners say the new rule could force out long-time residents, and the petition highlighted the plight of foreign restaurant owners in particular.

"My children only speak Japanese... and we're told to go back to India," Manish Kumar, who has lived in Japan for 30 years, said at a gathering about the visa issue on Wednesday.

His business manager visa was not renewed last year, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily.

"I've worked hard to get this far thanks to the support" from fellow chefs and customers, Kumar said.

A young man runs past an elderly couple taking a health walk early in the morning on October 1, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan.

"I've done nothing wrong. It's cruel to tell people to return to their home country just because the rules have suddenly changed."

It was unclear whether Kumar's curry restaurant in Saitama, near Tokyo, is still operating.

The clip showing his tearful speech was viewed millions of times.

The number of signatures on the Change.org petition calling for the government to scrap the 30-million-yen requirement had reached nearly 60,000 by Friday.

It was submitted to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan this week.

The number of applications for business manager visas has dropped 96 percent since the tightening of the rule, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily.

Economic security minister Kimi Onoda welcomed the change, telling a news conference on Tuesday that "concerns that (the requirement) might be misused for the purpose of migration have been largely allayed".

Concerns about the system had grown in recent years, with Chinese social media posts claiming it was easy to get a visa in Japan.

The number of business manager visa holders jumped to 45,000 by June last year, half of them Chinese and 2.7 times the number a decade ago, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Investigations by regional immigration services bureaus have also revealed numerous shell companies.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has promised to tighten immigration rules, even though Asia's number two economy is struggling with labour shortages and a falling population.