SEISEI INSIGHTS — Cross-border Compliance
The Structure of Japan's HSP Points System: A Company Owner Is Not Scored Like a Researcher
2026-07-16
"A master's degree, ten years of experience, ¥10 million in income — 80 points is a lock." We hear this kind of estimate constantly from people considering acquiring a company in Japan and designing their residence status. The numbers themselves come from a real points table. In most cases, though, it is the table for a different route.
The Highly Skilled Professional points system is not one table. The ministerial ordinance setting the criteria for the "Highly Skilled Professional" entry in Appended Table I-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act defines three routes, each scored differently: "advanced academic research" for researchers (Item 1(a)), "advanced specialized/technical activities" for technical professionals (Item 1(b)), and "advanced business management" for those who manage a company (Item 1(c)). Someone who acquires a company and runs it falls, as a rule, under the third route.
The Same "¥10 Million" Can Be Worth 40 Points or 10
This is where the confusion concentrates. Annual income of ¥10 million is worth 40 points on the research/technical routes (a/b), but only 10 points on the business-management route (c) — because the management route's income scale is built around higher thresholds (¥30 million+ for 50 points; ¥10–15 million for just 10 points).
Age differs too. The research/technical routes award points for youth (15 points under age 30, and so on), but the management route has no age item at all. In its place is a "position" item: 10 points as a representative director, 5 points as a director. What is rewarded is your managerial role, not your youth.
Main Scoring on the Business-Management Route (Item 1(c))
The scoring that applies to those acquiring and running a company is broadly as follows (key items from the criteria ordinance):
| Item | Criterion | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Professional degree in management (MBA, etc.) | 25 |
| Education | Doctorate / master's / professional degree | 20 |
| Education | University graduate (bachelor's) | 10 |
| Experience | 10+ years of business management experience | 25 |
| Experience | 7 to under 10 years | 20 |
| Experience | 5 to under 7 years | 15 |
| Income | ¥30 million or more | 50 |
| Income | ¥20 million to under ¥25 million | 30 |
| Income | ¥10 million to under ¥15 million | 10 |
| Position | Representative director / representative executive officer | 10 |
| Position | Director / executive officer | 5 |
| Bonus | An SME that has obtained certain innovation-promotion certifications | 20 |
| Bonus | Japanese proficiency (N1 level) | 15 |
| Bonus | Japanese proficiency (N2 level) | 10 |
A total of 70 points or more qualifies you as a Highly Skilled Professional.
Why the Acquisition Route "Works" Is Not About Income
Consider someone with a master's degree, ten years of management experience, who becomes the representative director of the company they acquired, earns ¥12 million, whose company is an SME holding a qualifying innovation-related certification, and who has N2-level Japanese.
The score: education (master's) 20 + experience (10+ years) 25 + income (¥10M band) 10 + position (representative director) 10 + bonus (SME + certification) 20 + Japanese N2 10 = 95 points, well above 70.
The point worth noticing: of those 95, income contributes only 10. What carries the score is experience, position, and the bonus items. Build your whole route on the assumption that "¥10 million earns 40 points," and the arithmetic simply does not balance on the management route. Acquiring a company works for residence design not because of the salary itself, but because your managerial role and the target company's attributes (SME status, certifications) translate into points.
One caveat: sustaining a certain score materially shortens the residence-period requirement for permanent residency. The specific number of years, however, is set not by statute but by immigration administrative guidance (the guidelines on permanent residence permission), which can be revised. We do not assert a specific figure here.
Treat It as a Structural Question
The points system is not "an exam for geniuses" — it is a regime that stacks requirements item by item. That is precisely why the first thing to confirm is which route you are on: are you applying as a researcher/technician, or as someone managing a company? Count points on the wrong route and the actual review can come out dozens of points off. Three things to confirm:
- Which route applies to you (research / technical / business management)? The scoring table itself changes.
- Beyond income, where can you accumulate points? The design of experience, position, and bonus items is decisive.
- Does the target company meet the bonus criteria (SME status, certifications)? This can be a 20-point difference.
Mapping route selection and bonus items onto a single structural diagram is the starting point for anyone considering the Highly Skilled Professional status.
This article provides general information on the residence-status system and does not constitute individual application consultation. The feasibility and procedures of a specific residence-status application are handled by licensed partner professionals (immigration lawyers, i.e. gyoseishoshi) whom we introduce.