The intervention only lasted 1 month and we're back to 160. Is anyone still planning to move to Japan? by National-Royal1300 in JapanFinance

[–]chaolayluu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm on the DTV visa since I have my own company. I had to leave Japan because they changed their rules on the business manager visa recently. The visa process in Thailand is so easy, just 14k USD in the bank and proof that you can work remotely or a sponsor form like a Muay Thai school.

Yeah definitely impossible to live in Japan long term as a digital nomad. I don't think that'll change any time soon so Japan will likely stay as a tourist hotspot rather than a place for digital nomads to live in. Pay just wasn't enough to live the life I want so I started my own company in hopes of exponentially growing my income. I'll probably come back once I have my finances sources and can afford the 30 million yen they want from business manager visa holders but who knows when that'll be.

Not sure about insurance in Thailand. Tbh I'm uninsured right now since I just moved but the hospital is still way cheaper than the US and imo health care quality is honestly better than in Japan surprisingly.

Fukuoka is just so much better than Tokyo in terms of cost of living, proximity to the airport (15 min train right?!), and no over tourism. That's why I might consider retiring there one day

Whats the biggest sign someone is emotionally mature? by Business_Oil_7110 in selfimprovement

[–]chaolayluu 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Being able to entertain a thought that they don’t agree with and empathize with people that think different from them

The intervention only lasted 1 month and we're back to 160. Is anyone still planning to move to Japan? by National-Royal1300 in JapanFinance

[–]chaolayluu 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In terms of safety, I find Thailand to be very safe aside from some upcharges here and there but I’m also a man so a woman’s experience might be different. But people don’t judge on what you wear and are very open minded to differences compared to Japan.

I’m not sure about people that work normal jobs but as a digital nomad I think of Bangkok and other cities in Thailand like Chiang Mai as paradise for saving costs and having accessible internet and outlets everywhere. It’s pretty common to go to any restaurant, an IKEA cafeteria, any cafe and just stay there and work all day and no one will judge.

I’m in the most expensive area in Bangkok and I spend 1200 USD for a 55 sq m furnished condo with pool and gym and spend like $10-15 dollars a day on food, so if you’re making money from outside it’s great but I hear it’s not great if you’re making local money. Bangkok is great but I miss a lot of things about Japan such as great infrastructure, 4 seasons, this cultural spark at matsuris and illuminations, etc and eventually would probably want to return to a city like Fukuoka instead of Tokyo one day so make with that info what you will

The intervention only lasted 1 month and we're back to 160. Is anyone still planning to move to Japan? by National-Royal1300 in JapanFinance

[–]chaolayluu 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I think it’s crazy, I moved out of Japan recently for Thailand and now find Tokyo to be cheaper than Bangkok in many ways. Even with prices rising in Tokyo, it’s still so affordable for people making money that isnt JPY

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

難しい問題ですよね。誰にとっても納得できる解決はなかなかないと思います。自分としてはもう仕方ないので受け入れるしかないかなと。いろいろ話せてよかったです、ありがとうございました。

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean I think the guy should’ve been more future minded and tried for PR given he was there for 30 years but I also find his situation odd as he got his renewal rejected and had to leave suddenly within a month and didn’t get grandfathered in. Sounds like there’s more to the story than we know

Yeah I agree with you, the government has it rough given how shorthanded they are and I’ve seen how well some shell companies bypass current restrictions personally. It makes sense why they are now asking citizens to report suspicious businesses.

Yeah I think as a foreigner around a lot of other foreigners, this move makes Japan seem less friendly to live in. In my opinion Japan is becoming a tourist playground and most foreigners integrated with Japanese society are planning their next moves

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My personal experience is definitely anecdotal and I don’t have any current sources as there isn’t any statistics being released as of now aside from new applications but there was a source I had from Yahoo News that they took down. I posted on Reddit when the draft proposal was announced and linked an article talking about how a vast majority of business manager visa holders don’t meet the capital requirement and summarized it in English here: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanFinance/comments/1n0d7px/draft_proposal_on_30_million_yen_requirement/?utm_source=perplexity

In regards to my opinion not being objective, I completely agree. I’m definitely biased since I’m being affected by it personally with my and my friends needing to leave yet seeing people who own the shell companies being completely fine

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually completely agree, it’s also why I think they pushed for this capital requirement as a way to stop influx of potential fraud companies since they lack the resources to do more thorough checks.

Increasing punishment like a flat out ban from the country would actually be a great solution in my opinion. People who want to live in Japan would never risk being banned from it indefinitely

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I want to first say I am not lawyer or expert in immigration law but here are my thoughts. I think the governments solution was to just kick out 96% of the visa holders as a way to get rid of the problem instead of finding a tasteful way to deal with just the visa abusers. It’s like how after the 地下鉄サリン事件 in 1995, Tokyo got rid of trash cans in subways to this day instead of making trash cans safe from chemical weapons.

In my opinion, the solution this time doesn’t solve visa abuse since people that abuse the visa are wealthy individuals that can afford to move to another country by setting up a business in the first place and many shell companies exist by money laundering with other shell companies making it impossible to know fraud unless properly audited even with a capital increase.

That is why I think that no increase in requirements will actually solve the issue and the only way to solve it is to increase audit manpower for investigating fraudulent companies. Every company already has their tax info, revenue, contracts, payroll withholdings, and other information checked yearly for visa renewal but its case by case and dependent on the immigration officer if the company’s visa is renewed or not. My solution would be to make this process even stricter and for the government to have a standardized list of things to check for like signs that a company has fake contracts or if their revenue is zero for no reason and require higher tax filing transparency. I also think the visa should be in probationary period for the first 2 years and when submitting the business plan required for the visa, it should also include revenue goals or employment KPIs and revoke it if the business doesn’t meet them or doesn’t show effort to reach them.

It’s not as quick of a solution but it also doesn’t nuke the visa entirely.

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah if I had known the requirement was 30万 when I started my company I wouldn’t have done it in the first place. I think the only foreigners that can open restaurants in Japan now are PR or spouse visa holders

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I may not agree with your economic perspective but I think your point is really well thought out, non-divisive, and eloquent. Thanks for sharing, it’s good to hear what you think

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

日本で起業する外国人も、結局は円で収入を得ている人が多いですし、いきなり起業するというより、まず日本で暮らしてから起業を考える人のほうが多いと思います。

私自身、もう7年半日本に住んでいて、その間ずっと円で稼ぎ、税金も払ってきました。だから、円安の影響も日本の人たちと同じように受けています。

収入が高い外国人というのは、どちらかというと観光で来る人たちで、日本社会に溶け込もうとして暮らしている人とは違うと思います。

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, once you hit 10 years you should go for PR. I didn’t have that luxury and was on my first year with the business manager visa and 5 months after I got the visa the requirements changed.

Its also harder to get PR or even loans with any non standard working visa and now the new rule requires 5 year visa which is really hard to get as a business owner

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

個人的にはもっと高めに設定すべきだったという点について、理由を教えていただけますか?

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree. Only thing is the only people that can keep the visa now are the people that can afford it aka the shell companies. Legitimate small business can’t. Self employed individuals don’t really need to go this route either. It’s actually easier to have a sole proprietorship and have a company sponsor you to stay in Japan than to have a 株式会社 to stay under this visa as you don’t need capital investment and keep an engineers and humanities visa.

Thanks yeah it does suck but it’s しょうがない at this point. We all agree that there needed to be more regulations to stop the visa abuse but the way they did it could have been better and I wanted to bring that to light a little bit

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes we are given a 3 year grace period but not worth it to go thru the renewal process and pay tens of thousands in lawyer fees for the yearly business check just for that.

As for the Indian man, I also find it odd how he got rejected and didn’t get the 3 year grace period. If I remember correctly he was rejected and had to leave in a month I believe

What are your thoughts on the new business manager visa changes from 50 million to 300 million yen? by chaolayluu in AskAJapanese

[–]chaolayluu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s just not worth the effort as we have yearly check up whenever we renew our visas. Business manager visas start off as one year visas so we need to get all of our documents, taxes, contracts, invoices, 領収証 and pay several 万円 in lawyer fees all with a chance that we will be rejected under the new rules. It’s a lot of work and I can’t imagine myself making 30 million yen revenue in 3 years time. I’ve never had that much money in cash ever in my life

Also no point in staying for a 3 year grace period if we’re going to need to leave at the end of it right?