Japan wants indie
hackers
With $6.4 billion in startup funding, and a new Digital Noman Visa, Japan is waiting for your next big idea.
Japan’s new Digital Nomad Visa offers six months to explore its booming startup scene.
Tokyo's #10 globally, powered by a buzzing startup scene, pro-entrepreneur policies, and a new wave of innovators ditching corporate jobs.
Indie Hackers can hit up events, team up with startups, help old-school companies get agile, or even snag a startup visa to kick things off in Japan.
Japan is rolling out the red carpet for Indie Hackers with its new Digital Nomad Visa. Whether you're a solopreneur, a builder, or hustling to scale your side gig, this visa might just be the launchpad you’ve been waiting for.
Japan isn’t just about sushi and cherry blossoms, it’s also a rising startup hotspot. With the new Digital Nomad Visa, remote workers get six months to explore its entrepreneurial scene — two times longer than a standard tourist visa.
You can’t work locally, but for Indie Hackers with online revenue streams, it’s a perfect chance to network, test ideas, and dive into a thriving ecosystem.
Why Japan is calling Indie Hackers
Japan’s startup scene is booming, now ranked 10th globally by Startup Genome — five spots higher than the previous year. The government is investing $6.4 billion over the next 5 years in startups, offering visas, and making tax-friendly policies for entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, younger generations are diving into entrepreneurship, creating a strong talent pool. With innovations like Sakana AI leading the way, there’s room for Indie Hackers with global expertise in SaaS, AI, or marketing to make a real impact and help bridge the gap to Western markets.
A thriving startup scene
If you’re thinking about Japan, there are tons of ways to get involved:
Join the community: Tokyo’s startup events are super foreigner-friendly, with many running in English. From the weekly Venture Café Tokyo meetups to massive gatherings like SushiTech Tokyo, it’s easy to plug into the scene and meet like-minded builders.
Share your expertise: Startups are looking for global talent to shake things up. If you’ve scaled a product or run a SaaS, you’re a hot commodity.
Consult for big players: Japan’s legacy corporations want in on the startup magic but don’t know how to adapt. That’s where you come in — offering insights to help them innovate and collaborate with agile startups.
Test the waters: Thinking about a more permanent stay? The Digital Nomad Visa is a perfect trial run before diving into Japan’s full-blown Startup Visa, which lets you launch a business and tap into the wider Asian market.
Plug into the ecosystem
As an Indie Hacker, Japan offers the perfect mix of flexibility and inspiration. Run your business online while soaking up fresh ideas in a vibrant startup hub.
Add stunning landscapes, cutting-edge cities, and a vibe that hits differently, and you’ve got the ideal place to spark your next big idea. As Antti Sonninen (an organizer of the annual TakeOffTokyo conference) puts it:
I think there’s never been a better time to visit Japan and do business in Japan. I think this is one of the most interesting places to be right now.
Sorry, but this article is very weak. I've lived in Japan for 12 years and ran a startup there and you haven't even touched upon how Japan has been flirting with startup culture since then but has never managed to actually adapt due to the endemic Japanese conservative business attitude.
I haven't checked the latest information, but back in the day they used to have ridiculous requirements to have a business visa.. like having an office and bank account.. which sounds fine but in practice as a foreign entrepreneur you will find a Japanese bank won't easily let you register a business bank account without an office and a landlord won't let you rent an office without a bank account.
After several years finally someone in gov realised this was a totally impractical requirement and then they said OK we give you a temporary visa for a few months that should give you time to get a bank account and an office 🤦.. they just don't understand indie hacked hustle.. its not their way. They care about business cards and protocol and doing things the "right" or traditional way.
This article really needs to do more to explain how these things have changed. I truly doubt they have.
Furthermore, let's be honest the Japanese population is ageing and getting smaller.. how can you call this sorry situation booming? It's likely the market gets tighter and more difficult in future rather than the rapid growth this lazy article suggests.
Japan is so officious, it makes business difficult, but founders like me put up with it because we love Japan. Don't pretend its all roses here.
I agree. IH should have explained cost of living, taxation, etc.
I can't get too upset by the lack of detail. There's a limit to what he can cover in an article on Indie Hackers.
The business climate has improved in Japan, step-by-painfully-slow-step, over decades. The upside is that the government hasn't done a turnabout against startups like they've done after many attempts to bring in talent or foreign investment in the past.
We have an indie community in Japan. Feel free to join :)
https://www.meetup.com/indie-tokyo/?eventOrigin=home_page_groups_you_are_in
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