The Foreign Entrepreneur Support Handbook is not a marketing brochure and not a simple checklist of application forms.
It is a working tool for people who have already made, or are seriously considering, the decision to build a business in Japan.

The book walks through the life cycle of a foreign-led business: choosing a structure, raising capital, securing premises and staff, framing a viable business plan, and presenting all of this to the Japanese immigration authorities as a coherent case.

Because the author actively represents clients in these matters, the focus is on what actually moves cases forward: documentation that answers the questions examiners care about, numbers that make sense, and risk factors that can and should be addressed before an application is filed.

Although the statutory framework is Japanese, the analytical approach will feel familiar to readers used to US or UK–style law firm guidance notes.

Part I — Deciding Whether and How to Enter Japan

• Strategic questions to resolve before you choose a visa category
• When a Business Manager Visa makes sense, and when it does not
• Interaction with other options, including Highly Skilled Professional status

Part II — Designing a Business That Can Be Approved

• What “substance” means in practice: premises, staffing, and capitalization
• Documenting a business model in a way that immigration officers can understand
• Common weaknesses in plans submitted by foreign founders and how to fix them

Part III — Building a Structure That Lasts

• Cash-flow thinking for renewals: how immigration reads your financials
• Preparing for tax, social insurance, and payroll from the start
• Planning a pathway toward stability: renewal, permanent residency, or status upgrade

Part IV — Practitioner Tools

• Field-tested checklists used in live Business Manager files
• Issue-spotting guides for lawyers, tax advisors, and consultants
• Representative Q&A based on actual client questions

The Japanese edition lays out these themes in more detail with references to statutes, ministerial ordinances, and official practice guidelines.

For foreign founders and management teams

• Clarity on what Japan actually expects from a foreign-led business structure.
• A realistic picture of the timing, documentation load, and risks involved.
• A framework for coordinating your lawyers, tax advisors, and immigration counsel.
• A roadmap that looks beyond “getting the visa” toward sustainable operations and, where appropriate, permanent residency.

For law firms and professional advisors

• An integrated view of immigration, corporate, and finance considerations in Business Manager cases.
• Language and concepts you can use to communicate with boards and investors.
• Structured tools that can be adapted to your own internal templates and checklists.

Masakazu Murai is the founding partner of Continental Immigration Lawyer Corporation, a Tokyo-based boutique practice focusing on immigration and corporate matters for foreign nationals.

Before entering legal practice, Mr. Murai worked in the Investment Banking Division of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.
He advised listed companies on equity offerings and M&A transactions, primarily in the automotive and financial sectors, and gained extensive experience in financial analysis, capital policy, and valuation.

He is a Vice Branch Director of the Minato Branch of the Tokyo Gyoseishoshi Association, a Chartered Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA), a CFP professional, and holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship.

In his immigration practice, Mr. Murai routinely advises foreign entrepreneurs, highly skilled professionals, and international couples on visa strategy, company formation, and long-term residence planning.
A substantial portion of his clientele consists of professionals from Europe and North America — including IT engineers, finance professionals, and academics — and he regularly handles matters in English.Continental’s websites attract roughly 30,000 page views per month, with a significant share coming from pages focused on Business Manager and Spouse visas.
The firm places particular emphasis on publishing accurate, practice-oriented information drawn from live cases.

Readers of the handbook — and organizations that work with foreign founders — can complement the book with tailored advice from Continental.
Typical engagements include:

• Pre-filing reviews of Business Manager or Highly Skilled Professional strategies
• Assessment of business plans and financial projections from an immigration perspective
• Second opinions on cases that may be at risk of denial or non-renewal

Individual engagements are governed by separate engagement letters and fee arrangements.
The book itself is for general information and does not create an attorney–client relationship.

Illustrative topics

• Key questions every foreign founder should answer before investing in Japan
• Understanding Japan’s Business Manager framework from a risk-management perspective
• Designing a business plan that can withstand both immigration review and commercial reality

Webinars may be delivered in Japanese or English depending on the audience. Schedules and formats will be announced on the firm’s website and through the newsletter.