Thousands of foreign entrepreneurs in Japan face deportation as new visa rules take effect.
The move is a severe blow to small business owners who have called Japan home for years.
The new visa guidelines have raised the required minimum investment amount significantly from 5 million yen ($30,000) to 30 million yen ($185,000).
In addition, the visa holders must employ a Japanese citizen or a permanent resident, which is difficult due to the labor shortage in Japan.
It is a result of the growing fear among citizens of overtourism and skyrocketing land prices due to investment from abroad.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has also increased tourist visa fees by five times and the departure tax by three times for everyone.
Over 67,800 signatures have been collected through an online petition calling for the suspension of the newly introduced laws. The opposition says the law punishes genuine businesses instead of defrauding companies.
Daisuke Komori, an administrative affairs adviser, warned: “The tightened regulations are affecting small restaurant owners and young entrepreneurs,” even as Japan’s super-aging population desperately needs immigrant labor to sustain its economy.
