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Atotsugi
Weekly · In English · From public listings

Japanese businesses looking for a successor, in English, every week.

We turn public succession listings from Japan’s government-run support centers into structured English briefs, with notes on foreign ownership, visa fit, and seller conditions.

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From public listings by Japan’s government-run succession centers. We are not a broker.

01 — The problem

The listings are public. They just aren’t usable from outside Japan.

01

Listings exist only in Japanese.

Each center publishes in its own format, in Japanese. There is no English version to search or compare.

02

They never say whether a foreign buyer can own or run the business.

Licences, sector rules and the seller’s own preferences all affect it. Whether a foreign buyer is welcome has to be asked.

03

The October 2025 visa revision changed what is realistic.

The Business Manager visa now requires ¥30M in capital and at least one full-time employee, plus new language, experience and business-plan checks. A business that looks affordable may not support a visa on its own.

02 — What you get

One structured brief per listing.

Two entries from the sample issue, as subscribers receive them. Every entry links to the original listing on the center’s site.

Ownership Possible Check needed Not possible
Visa fit High / Medium / Low: how well the business lines up with the Business Manager visa rules. Not an assessment of your case. Residents with unrestricted work status can ignore it.
No. 01 · RestaurantOpen

Kappo restaurant with land & building

Location
Kobe, Hyogo
Staff
2 or fewer
Revenue
Not stated
Operating profit
Not stated
Asking price
¥38M incl. land, building, fixtures and equipment
Highlights
  • Long-running local Japanese restaurant known for live-prepared fish, seasonal dishes and local sake
  • Shop with living quarters: 2-storey steel-frame building on about 20 tsubo (66 m²) of land
Ownership
Possible. No foreign-ownership restriction identified. Foreign buyers can generally buy real estate in Japan.
Visa fit
Medium
No full-time employee today; the buyer must hire one.
Seller conditions
Wants a single asset sale: the land and building plus fixtures and equipment. Open to handing over recipes and suppliers, and to training the buyer.
Source: Hyogo Business Succession and Handover Support Center (兵庫県事業承継・引継ぎ支援センター) · ID 兵庫26-200 Original listing ↗
No. 02 · RetailOpen

Eyeglasses & hearing-aid shop

Location
Awaji Island, Hyogo
Staff
2 or fewer
Revenue
¥10–20M
Operating profit
¥3–10M
Asking price
Not stated
Highlights
  • Competitors have left the area, leaving this shop as one of the few remaining
  • Customers transfer with the business
  • Owner can pass on the technical skills
Ownership
Check needed. No foreign-ownership restriction identified, but selling hearing aids requires a notification as a medical-device retailer and a qualified store manager. Check whether the current manager will stay.
Visa fit
Low
A small business with no full-time staff to take over. Better suited to a buyer already living in Japan with unrestricted work status.
Seller conditions
Not stated.
Source: Hyogo Business Succession and Handover Support Center (兵庫県事業承継・引継ぎ支援センター) · ID 兵庫26-061 Original listing ↗
Read the full sample issue →
03 — Who it’s for

If you’ve read that Japan is “giving away businesses,” this is the sober version.

For

  • Residents with unrestricted work status. Permanent residents, spouse-visa holders and long-term residents who can own and run a business today.
  • People planning to relocate with capital. You can meet the Business Manager requirements and want a going concern rather than a start-up.
  • Small search funds. Searchers screening Japanese SMEs who need an English first pass.

Not for

  • Anyone expecting a free business. A low asking price can still come with debts, leases, staff or conditions to take on.
  • Anyone expecting an automatic visa. Buying a business does not grant residence status. The visa is a separate application.
04 — How it works

We read the listings. You talk to the source.

  1. 01

    We collect public listings

    Japan has a government-run Business Succession and Handover Support Center in every prefecture. We collect the listings they make public.

  2. 02

    We translate them and add eligibility notes

    Foreign ownership, visa fit and seller conditions, in the same structure every week.

  3. 03

    You contact the original center directly

    We are not a broker. We don’t represent buyers or sellers, and we don’t sit between you and the center.

05 — Pricing

One plan, priced for early readers.

The sample issue is free. Founding members get every weekly issue.

Founding member

Founding price
$290 /yearAbout $24/month
  • Every weekly issue, with full briefs
  • Ownership, visa-fit and seller-condition notes on every listing
  • A link to the original listing on every item
Notify me when it opens
Founding membership isn’t open yet. Join the list and we’ll email you first. Full refund within 30 days of your first issue. Founding price is locked for as long as you stay subscribed.
06 — FAQ

Questions we get

Are you a broker?

No. Atotsugi is information only. We don’t represent buyers or sellers or take part in deals. Every brief links to the original listing, and you contact the center that published it directly.

Will buying a business give me a visa?

No. Owning a business doesn’t grant residence status. If you need a visa, the Business Manager visa is a separate application to the Immigration Services Agency. Since October 2025 it requires ¥30M in capital, at least one full-time employee, Japanese-language ability, management experience or a relevant degree, and a business plan checked by a licensed professional. Our “visa fit” note says how a listing lines up with those rules; it is not an assessment of your case.

Where do the listings come from?

From listings that Japan’s government-run Business Succession and Handover Support Centers make public. Every item links to the original.

Can foreigners buy Japanese companies?

Generally, yes. Some sectors require prior notification or post-deal reporting under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEFTA). Our ownership note flags listings where that may apply.

Refunds?

Full refund within 30 days of your first issue. Email [email protected] and we’ll refund the full amount.

Start with the free sample issue.

Five listings, fully written up. Judge the format before you pay for anything.

Optional, one click each
Where do you live?
Residence status
Budget

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