Recruiting in Japan does not always require setting up a company there. It does require knowing under which regime a foreign employer is allowed to file returns and pay contributions, and on what conditions.
Three routes generally exist: registration of the foreign employer with the local bodies, the use of an employer of record established on the spot, or the creation of a structure. The first is the least costly but presupposes a local correspondent able to file the returns in the language and to the calendar of the country; the second moves the employment relationship to a third party, which is not neutral in law. The choice is made in the light of the number of employees, the duration envisaged and what local law actually permits.
Three forms are open to a foreign company employing in Japan: representative office, branch (支店) and subsidiary (株式会社 or 合同会社). A representative office may carry on no commercial activity, and the form chosen determines whether a local bank account can be opened, which is the practical precondition for paying salaries.
Two affiliation systems then coexist and should never be conflated: social insurance (社会保険, health and pension) administered by the Japan Pension Service, and labour insurance (労働保険, work injury and unemployment) administered by the labour bureaux. Two registrations, two calendars, two certificates.
A written notice of working conditions is owed to the employee in addition to the contract, and any company reaching a given headcount must adopt work rules (就業規則) and file them with the labour standards inspection office. That obligation is routinely discovered too late.
Every month a pay statement is issued and income tax is withheld at source, before a year-end adjustment (年末調整) that spares most employees from filing personally. Termination, finally, is tightly constrained by case law: dismissal on personal grounds is difficult to secure, and a negotiated exit often remains the safer route for an employer. Social insurance grades are also revised on a fixed annual cycle, and missing that filing window creates arrears which take time to unwind.
In Japan, running payroll on behalf of third parties is a regulated activity. It is carried on under the title of 社会保険労務士 (Shakai hoken rōmushi) ; 税理士 (Zeirishi) pour le volet fiscal, and a registration in force must be produced to you before any engagement.
Professional body or supervisory authority : 全国社会保険労務士会連合会 ; 日本税理士会連合会
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 履歴事項全部証明書 (Rireki jikō zenbu shōmeisho)Certificate of All Historical Matters (company registry extract) Demander bien le 履歴事項全部証明書 et non le 現在事項証明書 : seul le premier retrace les changements des trois dernières années (siège, dirigeants, capital). Se commande au guichet, par courrier ou en ligne. | 法務局 (Bureau des affaires juridiques) — 登記所 | 3 months Required | Official website |
| 法人番号 (Hōjin bangō, 13 chiffres) + 適格請求書発行事業者登録番号 (T + 法人番号)Corporate Number and Qualified Invoice Issuer registration number Le 法人番号 est public et vérifiable librement. Depuis octobre 2023 (régime インボイス制度), demander en plus le numéro d'émetteur de factures qualifiées, vérifiable sur invoice-kohyo.nta.go.jp : sans lui, la TVA facturée n'est pas déductible chez le client. | 国税庁 (Agence nationale des impôts, NTA) | No expiry Required | Official website |
Describe your requirement. It is put to the partners in that country as an anonymous summary, and your contact details are passed on to the selected firm alone.
Request a provider in JapanSubmit an application: we review your file, we check the documents required on the ground and we give you an answer, whether it is positive or not.
Submit an application