日本外国居民仅占人口3%，而经合组织平均为15%，但日本有4,000至5,000家印度餐馆——比麦当劳门店还多——尽管印度居民只有59,000人。大多数由约300,000名尼泊尔移民经营，包括桑贾伊·萨哈尼这样的店主，他在东京东部的餐馆已供应850日元（5美元）的咖喱配馕午餐二十年。

为遏制疑似签证滥用——常与富裕中国人利用空壳公司有关——日本在10月将“经营管理”签证的最低资本金从500万日元（31,500美元）提高到3,000万日元（188,000美元），增至六倍。申请人还必须雇用至少一名全职日本员工或永久居民，而现有签证持有人有三年宽限期。

收紧规定已使签证申请下降96%，而持有3,000万日元或以上资本的日本企业不到9%，使这一门槛超出多数小咖喱店的承受范围。在日本劳动力已然短缺的情况下，移民经营的印度、泰国、越南及其他餐馆面临关闭风险，这将减少东京的平价午餐选择和饮食多样性。

Japan’s foreign residents are only 3% of the population versus 15% across the OECD, yet it has 4,000-5,000 Indian restaurants—more than McDonald’s outlets—despite just 59,000 Indian residents. Most are run by about 300,000 Nepalese immigrants, including owners such as Sanjay Sahani, whose east Tokyo restaurant has served a ¥850 ($5) curry-and-naan lunch for two decades.

To curb suspected visa abuse, often linked to wealthy Chinese using shell companies, Japan raised the business-management visa capital minimum in October from ¥5m ($31,500) to ¥30m ($188,000), a sixfold increase. Applicants must also hire at least one full-time Japanese worker or permanent resident, while current visa holders get a three-year grace period.

The tightening has cut visa applications by 96%, and fewer than 9% of Japanese firms hold ¥30m or more in capital, putting the threshold beyond most small curry houses. With Japanese labour already scarce, immigrant-run Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and other restaurants face closures that would reduce Tokyo’s affordable lunch options and culinary diversity.

Source: Japan’s beloved Indian restaurants are under threat

Subtitle: An unexpected casualty of the country’s immigration backlash

Dateline: 5月 28, 2026 05:03 上午 | TOKYO