A man passes a mural in the Okubo Shin area in Tokyo, June 12, a neighbourhood known for its large immigrant communities, including Korean, Southeast Asian and South Asian residents. AFP-Yonhap
TOKYO — In a tiny Tokyo restaurant filled with the smell of Nepalese dumplings, Budhathoki Samjhana surveys the business she built from scratch but may now have to give up as Japan tightens visa rules.
Even though Japan has a rapidly ageing population and is suffering labour shortages in many sectors, opposition to immigration is growing and the new rules for business manager visas were introduced by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in late 2025.
Nepalese national Budhathoki, who spent a decade away from her young daughter to create a new life for them in Tokyo, faces expulsion from the country because she may not be able to meet the specifications.
"I always wanted to become a bridge between Japan and Nepal ... but my dream is broken," the 38-year-old told AFP from the capital's Okubo district, where her restaurant is nestled alongside Vietnamese cafes, Indian curry houses and Korean barbecue joints.
