E-2 Visa for Japanese Citizens: Eligibility and How to Apply

Japanese citizens are eligible for the E-2 treaty investor visa under a treaty in force since October 30, 1953, and Japan is the single largest E-2 nationality: 15,521 E-2 visas were issued to Japanese nationals in FY2024. A Japanese citizen can qualify by investing in and directing a U.S. business, or by working as an executive, manager or essential employee of a U.S. company that is at least 50% Japanese-owned.

Is Japan an E-2 treaty country?

Yes. The Foreign Affairs Manual’s treaty table (9 FAM 402.9-10) lists Japan for both E-1 (treaty trader) and E-2 (treaty investor) classification, with the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation entering into force on October 30, 1953. A footnote in the same table notes the treaty was extended to the Bonin Islands in 1968 and to the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) in 1972.

Eligibility follows citizenship. A Japanese passport holder qualifies; a non-Japanese long-term resident of Japan does not qualify through Japan. If you are a dual national of Japan and another treaty country, you choose which nationality the business and your application will use, and every E-2 employee of that business must then share the same nationality. Our guide to E-2 ownership and nationality rules covers this in detail.

How many E-2 visas do Japanese nationals receive?

The State Department’s FY2024 nonimmigrant visa statistics show 55,324 E-2 visas issued worldwide. Japan accounted for 15,521 of them, roughly 28% of the total. The figures include principal investors, E-2 employees and family members.

Nationality	E-2 visas issued, FY2024
Japan	15,521
Korea (South)	6,778
Canada	6,747
Germany	3,902
France	3,574
Taiwan	2,921
United Kingdom	2,720

Source: State Department, Nonimmigrant Visas Issued by Nationality, FY2024. Asia as a region received 27,159 E-2 visas that year, and Japan alone accounted for more than half of that.

Why is Japan the largest E-2 nationality?

The volume reflects the structure of Japanese investment in the United States. Japanese-owned U.S. subsidiaries in manufacturing, automotive supply, electronics, trading, finance and food service routinely send managers and specialists from Japan, and the E-2 is a standard visa for many of those assignments. Each of those employees, plus spouses and children, counts in the statistics.

The E-2 employee route

An E-2 employee does not invest personal money. Instead, the U.S. company is the treaty investor, and the employee must:

• hold the same nationality as the company (Japanese, in this case),
• work in an executive or supervisory role, or have skills essential to the company’s operations, and
• work for a U.S. business that is at least 50% owned by Japanese nationals.

When a parent company is traded exclusively on a stock exchange in Japan, the FAM (9 FAM 402.9-4(B)) allows officers to presume the company has Japanese nationality, although the applicant should still provide the best available evidence. Employees file Form DS-160 and Form DS-156E, and some posts ask the company to register before employee applications are processed. See E-2 employees and essential workers for the full rules.

The individual investor route

Japanese entrepreneurs also use the E-2 to open or buy their own businesses. In our experience, common choices include ramen, sushi and izakaya-style restaurants, bakeries and cafes, beauty and hair salons, tutoring and Japanese-language education, import and wholesale of Japanese goods, and service franchises. A principal investor must own at least 50% of the business or hold operational control, and the investment must be substantial in proportion to the total cost of the business. There is no minimum dollar amount in the law; read how much you need to invest for the proportionality test.

E-2 requirements for Japanese investors

The legal standard is the same for every nationality (INA 101(a)(15)(E)(ii), 8 CFR 214.2(e) and 9 FAM 402.9). In short:

1. Treaty nationality. You are a Japanese citizen, and Japanese nationals own at least 50% of the business.
2. Investment. Your funds are at risk and irrevocably committed to the business. Money sitting in an account does not count, but a purchase held in escrow pending visa issuance can.
3. Real enterprise. The business is an active, for-profit operation, not passive holdings such as idle land or a stock portfolio.
4. Not marginal. The business must have the present or future capacity to do more than provide a minimal living for your family, or make a significant economic contribution, generally within five years.
5. Develop and direct. You control the business through ownership or operational control.
6. Intent to depart. You intend to leave the United States when your E-2 status ends.

Our complete E-2 requirements guide explains each one with the FAM citations.

Where do Japanese citizens apply for the E-2?

Japanese applicants generally apply through the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Check the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Japan website for the current E visa submission instructions, because each post sets its own document format, page limits and scheduling rules.

Since September 6, 2025, nonimmigrant visa applicants generally must apply in their country of nationality or legal residence. A Japanese citizen living legally in, for example, Singapore or Germany may apply there instead of in Japan. Interview waivers were narrowed in 2025, so plan for an in-person interview.

Japanese citizens already in the United States in another status, such as F-1 or H-1B, can ask USCIS for a change of status with Form I-129, then obtain the visa stamp at a consulate on a later trip. Compare both paths in change of status vs consular processing.

Costs and timing for Japanese applicants

Item	Amount or rule
MRV visa application fee	$315 per applicant
Reciprocity issuance fee	Check the reciprocity table for Japan
Visa integrity fee (Public Law 119-21)	$250 created by law; confirm current collection with the embassy
USCIS I-129 (if changing status in the U.S.)	$1,015, or $510 for employers with 25 or fewer FTE, plus the Asylum Program Fee
Premium processing (I-129)	$2,965, 15 business days
Admission per entry	Up to 2 years, regardless of visa validity

Visa validity is set by the State Department reciprocity table for each nationality and can range from 3 months to 5 years. Check the table for Japan before you plan travel. For a full budget including business setup, see E-2 visa cost.

Documenting the source of funds from Japan

Consular officers want to see the path of your money from its origin to the U.S. business account. Typical Japanese evidence includes:

• bank passbooks and statements showing savings built over time,
• withholding tax certificates from employers and tax payment certificates,
• real estate registry extracts and sale contracts for property sold,
• company registry extracts and financial statements if the money came from a business,
• gift agreements and the donor’s own source evidence for family gifts,
• remittance records reconciling yen to U.S. dollars.

Have Japanese-language documents translated into English. Our E-2 source of funds guide lists what each type of source needs.

Family members

A spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive E-2 derivative status. The spouse is authorized to work incident to status; since January 30, 2022 the I-94 shows class E-2S, which serves as evidence of employment authorization. Children (E-2Y) can attend school and university but cannot work. Details are in E-2 for spouses and children.

Next steps

If you are a Japanese entrepreneur choosing a U.S. business, start with our E-2 eligibility checker, then book a consultation with our team. We help select or build the business, write the five-year business plan and organize the investment evidence, and we coordinate with your independent immigration attorney, who prepares and files the visa case.