Indian Resident in Japan, Known as the “Father of Little India,” Laments: “At This Rate, 90 Percent of Ethnic Restaurants Will Disappear from Japan”

Entire Family to Be Deported from Japan

With curries whose aroma of spices whets the appetite and fragrant kebabs, the neighborhood’s ethnic restaurants—which have satisfied the appetites of many Japanese and become a familiar part of the daily landscape—may soon disappear.

The reason is neither “poor business performance” nor “high living costs.” It is due to a truly baffling policy change: the government’s tightening of the requirements for obtaining the “Management and Administration” residence status.

Last October, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) amended a ministerial ordinance under the pretext of preventing visa abuse by shell companies.As a result, the requirements for the “Management and Administration” visa—which previously could be obtained by meeting either a “capital of 5 million yen or more” or “employment of at least two full-time staff members”—were suddenly raised to include a “capital of 30 million yen or more,” along with “employment of at least one full-time staff member” and “Japanese language proficiency requirements.”Although there is a three-year transition period, it will be extremely difficult for small and micro-sized businesses to meet the new standards. Once the deadline passes, visa renewals will not be granted, and it is highly likely that many foreign nationals operating restaurants will be forced to return to their home countries.

Mr. Narayan, who runs an Indian restaurant in Yokohama, is one of those facing this predicament.

“After paying employee salaries and taxes, I’m left with almost no profit. When I ask my colleagues in the industry, they say, ‘It’s impossible to come up with 30 million yen all at once.’ Even when we recruit Japanese part-time workers, we can’t attract any applicants at all. Many people feel that if they can’t meet the requirements, they’ll have no choice but to give up their restaurants and return home,”

he explains the current situation.

While the entire foodservice industry is grappling with labor shortages, the new requirement for small establishments to hire full-time Japanese staff is vastly out of touch with the realities on the ground. Even more serious is the issue of the children whose livelihoods are being disrupted by these administrative rule changes.If a shop owner holding a Management and Administration Visa is no longer allowed to stay in Japan, their wife and children—who are living on “Family Residence” visas linked to the owner’s status—will also have to leave Japan with them.

Jagmohan S. Chandrani (73), who runs a Japan-India trading company in Nishi-Kasai (Edogawa Ward), Tokyo, cannot hide his concerns.He came to Japan in the 1970s and, while importing and selling Indian tea and running an Indian restaurant, has supported his fellow Indians living in Nishi-Kasai. Thanks to his dedication to coexisting with the local community, he is now affectionately known as the “Father of Little India.” Mr. Chandrani, who also serves as chairman of the Edogawa Indian Association, explains:

“It’s no exaggeration to say that many children of Indian restaurant owners have established a way of life that makes them practically ‘Japanese.’ When they come home from school, Japanese just comes naturally, and they speak only Japanese when playing with friends. Many of these children aren’t very good at Hindi, so it would be far too harsh to tell them to go back to India now and learn Hindi from scratch.”

Only 4% Meet the Requirements

Amid cries of distress from the field, data has emerged showing just how high a hurdle these new requirements are. These are internal documents from the Immigration Bureau submitted at the request of House of Councillors member Sohei Nihashi of the Japanese Communist Party, who has been pursuing this issue in the Diet.

According to the documents, as of the end of Reiwa 6, among visa holders (approximately 41,600 people subject to the requirements), 73.9% had capital of “5 million yen.” If those with capital of 10 million yen or less are included, the figure reaches about 90% of the total.On the other hand, only 4.1 percent meet the new standard of “30 million yen or more.” In other words, if the current situation continues, a full “over 90 percent” of visa-holding business operators will be unable to meet the new requirements.

“The Japanese government issued these visas, and because these individuals have abided by the rules and earnestly built their lives here, a ‘trust in Japanese society’ has been established. The government has a responsibility to protect and uphold that trust.To do a complete about-face that fundamentally undermines that trust toward foreign residents is an act that runs counter to international good faith and principles,” said Representative Niibi.

How does the Immigration Bureau itself view this situation? We spoke with the Residence Management Division.

“In principle, we would like applicants to aim to meet the new standards, but we will not automatically deny applications simply because they cannot be met. We will conduct a comprehensive review of the extent to which the new standards are met, as well as the business’s financial situation and its payment history for corporate taxes and other obligations. This is not intended to immediately force locally rooted businesses out of business, and we do not anticipate that 90 percent of them will go under.”

Although the authorities say they “will not deny applications across the board but will respond flexibly,” there is a significant gap between the official stance and the reality on the ground, and the anxiety among those affected persists.

“Everyone is feeling extremely anxious right now. Until now, we felt welcome in Japan, but we’re getting the impression that we’re suddenly being told, ‘We don’t need you anymore; go home.’ It seems nearly impossible to suddenly save 30 million yen in just three years.It’s clear that nearly half of those who obtained their visas on their own and are running their own businesses will be unable to meet this requirement and will be forced to return home,” said Ms. Chandrani (as quoted above).

Before the smiles of those working up a sweat in the kitchen today fade away, shouldn’t we speak out against this unjust reality?