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Job sites and agencies in Japan for English speakers

People find work in Japan in three ways: through the public employment service Hello Work, through private recruitment agencies, and directly — on job sites and company websites. Here is what each is, which English-language sites exist and whom they say they serve, who may charge you and for what, how to check an agency’s license, and how to spot a scam.

The list of sites

How to find a job

Checked against the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hello Work, the Immigration Services Agency and the sites themselves on October 7, 2026 · Hello Work · Your employment contract

What an agency may charge a job seeker, by law¥0

Employment Service Centers for Foreigners: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka4

Maximum fee in the narrow exceptions, of up to 6 months’ wages10.8%

Police consultation line if you were drawn into “easy money” jobs#9110

In short

Job sites and agencies in five lines

  • Hello Work is free. By law it is a public body that “serves the public free of charge” (Employment Security Act, Article 8). There are special centers for foreigners in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.
  • An agency does not charge the job seeker. The employer pays it (Article 32-3). The exceptions are narrow: a small registration fee for certain performing, modeling, domestic and catering jobs, and fees for high earners.
  • Job sites for foreigners may be free or have paid features — the site decides, so read its terms.
  • An agency’s license can be checked in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare database (人材サービス総合サイト, jinzai sābisu sōgō saito).
  • Visas are not for sale. Only immigration grants a status of residence; a “visa guarantee for a fee” is a sign of a scam.

Three routes

Hello Work, an agency or a direct application

The routes do not exclude each other: most people use several at once.

Hello Work (ハローワーク) Recruitment agency (人材紹介, jinzai shōkai) Direct application
What it is The public employment service of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare A private company licensed for job placement A job site, a company website, social media, people you know
Who pays Nobody: free by law The employer; not you (apart from narrow exceptions) Applying is usually free; some sites have paid features
Language Mostly Japanese; at the centers for foreigners English, Chinese and other languages Depends on the agency: some specialize in bilingual candidates Depends on the site and the job
Good for Anyone whose status allows work; students through the centers for foreigners Experienced specialists, IT, bilingual candidates Everyone; especially IT and international companies
What to check Your status of residence: the job must fit it The license number in the Ministry database Who the employer is and whether there are written terms

Another route is temporary staffing (派遣, haken): an agency employs you and sends you to work at another company. Your employer is then the agency, which also needs a license. More on the types of employment: types of employment in Japan.

Sites

Job sites for English speakers

Who each site is for — by its own description. We do not rank them: choose by your field and language, and sign up on several at once.

Site What it is (by its own description) Language For the job seeker
Hello Work Internet Service (ハローワークインターネットサービス) Search the jobs of every Hello Work office without registering; you can open a job-seeker My Page (求職者マイページ) Japanese Free (public service)
Specified Skilled Worker support site (ssw.go.jp) The Immigration Services Agency’s site on the Specified Skilled Worker status: test information, seminars, job events in Japan and abroad English version available Public site
GaijinPot Jobs An English-language job board for jobs in Japan, run by GPlusMedia Inc. English Check the site
Daijob Describes itself as a job search site for bilingual and multilingual people, since 1998; welcomes people from around the world who want to work in Japan. Companies can send Scout Mail. Run by Human Resocia Co., Ltd. English and Japanese Registration needed for Scout Mail; check the site
CareerCross Bilingual jobs with global companies in Japan and Japanese companies; filter by the Japanese level a job needs, from “None” to “Native”. Run by the JAC Group English and Japanese Registration to apply; check the site
Jobs in Japan English job board for Japan; teaching is its largest category, plus IT, hospitality and others; has an “Overseas OK” filter. Run by Spectrum Consulting Japan G.K. English Check the site
TokyoDev A job board and community for English-speaking software engineers in Japan; filters such as “No Japanese Required” and “Apply from Abroad” English Check the site
Japan Dev Hand-picked jobs for English-speaking software developers; says it vets the companies and lists jobs with visa sponsorship from overseas English Check the site
LinkedIn International professional network: profile, jobs section, recruiters searching for candidates English Paid subscriptions exist — check the site
Indeed Japan Job search with resume and company review tools Japanese Check the site
Wantedly Describes itself as a business social network (ビジネスSNS) used by 4.5 million people and 40,000 companies, matching people and companies by shared values Japanese Check the site

Site terms, prices and the number of jobs change. Before signing up, check on the site what is free and what is not. Students look for part-time jobs on separate sites — see part-time work for students.

How to use the sites

  • Fill in your profile in Japanese and English: many companies search for candidates themselves.
  • State your status of residence and its expiry date — the employer first wants to know whether you can legally do the job.
  • Look for ads that say the company helps with the visa — but still check that the work fits your status.
  • Keep a table of applications: company, date, stage, reply. There will be many rejections — that is normal.
  • Prepare your resume and motivation in the Japanese format — Japanese resume.

Hello Work

The public service and the centers for foreigners

Hello Work helps foreigners whose status allows work; some offices have desks for foreigners with interpreters. The Ministry advises looking for work through public services rather than illegal brokers, who take a cut of your wages and dismiss people easily.

Center Address Phone For whom
Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners Yotsuya Tower 13F, 1-6-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku 03-5361-8722 International students and holders of professional statuses
Shinjuku Foreigners’ Employment Assistance and Guidance Center Hello Work Shinjuku 1F, 2-42-10 Kabukichō, Shinjuku-ku 03-3204-8609 Statuses without work limits (spouses of Japanese nationals, Long-Term and Permanent Residents) and students looking for a part-time job
Nagoya Employment Service Center for Foreigners 8F, 2-14-25 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya 052-855-3770 Students and professionals
Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners Hankyu Grand Building 16F, 8-47 Kakudachō, Kita-ku, Osaka 06-7709-9465 Students and professionals
Fukuoka Employment Service Center for Foreigners Elgala Office Building 12F, 1-4-2 Tenjin, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka 092-716-8608 Students and professionals

The Employment Service Centers for Foreigners (外国人雇用サービスセンター, gaikokujin koyō sābisu sentā) are Ministry offices for international students and professionals, with interpreters in English, Chinese and — depending on the center — other languages. Languages, hours, the student corners and how to register: Hello Work for foreigners.

Agencies

How recruitment agencies work

An agency (人材紹介会社, jinzai shōkai gaisha, also called 転職エージェント, tenshoku ējento) finds openings, passes your resume to the company and arranges interviews. It is paid by the company that hires you.

Who may charge a job seeker

Under the Employment Security Act (Article 32-3), an agency that charges for placement may not charge the job seeker. The Ordinance (Article 20) and the Ministry’s guidelines leave narrow exceptions. A registration fee of up to ¥690 per application (¥660 for tax-exempt agencies) is allowed for performers, housekeepers, banquet waiters, cooks, models and product demonstrators. A placement fee is allowed only for managers (department head or above), scientists and engineers (a degree plus 5 years of experience) and certified skilled tradespeople (a national skill certificate of the top grade or Grade 1) whose pay is over ¥7,000,000 a year. Even then the fee may not exceed 10.8% (10.3% for tax-exempt agencies) of the wages paid, counting at most the first 6 months.

Example. An engineer is offered ¥8,400,000 a year. In the first 6 months he earns ¥4,200,000, and the most the agency may charge him is 10.8% of that — ¥453,600. For an ordinary office job paying ¥3–4 million a year, any fee from the job seeker is illegal.

How to work with an agency

  • Send your resume to 2–3 agencies: each has its own client companies.
  • Ask which statuses of residence the agency works with and whether the client company helps with the visa.
  • Don’t agree to an interview with a company whose name and terms you are not told.
  • Check the written terms before you sign — your employment contract.

License

How to check an agency’s license

  1. Get the agency’s detailsThe exact company name in Japanese and the license number (許可番号, kyoka bangō) — ask the agency.
  2. Open the Ministry databaseThe 人材サービス総合サイト lists placement agencies, temporary staffing agencies and job information providers registered with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (in Japanese).
  3. CompareThe name, address and number in the database must match what you were told.
  4. Not listed — stopDon’t send documents and don’t pay. You can report a violation to the Labor Bureau of your prefecture (労働局, rōdōkyoku).

If the database does not open, try later or ask Hello Work — they will show you how to check an agency. Recruiting from abroad? Sending organizations in your home country have their own official lists — finding a job from abroad.

Scams

Signs of a job scam

  • They ask for money for a job, registration, “processing” or a “visa guarantee”. Job seekers may not be charged for placement, apart from the narrow exceptions above.
  • They want your passport or residence card “for safekeeping”. The Ministry’s guidelines tell employers not to keep workers’ passports or residence cards. Showing a document is normal; handing it over is not.
  • “Work without a visa” or “on a tourist visa”. You may only work in a status that allows it. A violation can cost you your status and future visas.
  • Unpaid “training” or an “internship” before the job. Mandatory training ordered by the employer is working time and must be paid at least the minimum wage.
  • “Easy money”: pick up a parcel, open a bank account, “just make a call”. This is recruitment for fraud and robbery (闇バイト, yami baito). Posting such “jobs” is itself a crime, and taking part means a criminal case and losing your visa. If you have already been drawn in, call the police consultation line #9110.
  • No written terms, or a job ad without the company name, address and pay.
  • Pressure: “answer today”, “places are running out”, “transfer a deposit”.

Problems at work — unpaid wages, deductions, threats? Where to get free help in English: your rights at work.

Linked to your visa.

  • An agency does not issue visas. Only immigration grants a status of residence: to bring you in, the company applies for a Certificate of Eligibility; in Japan you apply for a change of status.
  • The job must fit your status. On the Engineer/Specialist status, for example, the work must match your education or experience, and the contract must be ongoing with a specific organization.
  • Temporary staffing (派遣) is possible on the Engineer/Specialist status if the work at the client fits the status. On the Specified Skilled Worker status — only in agriculture and fishery.
  • Specified Skilled Worker, food service: new applications are currently suspended (since April 13, 2026) — no new Certificates of Eligibility, and changes of status into the field are refused as a rule. Beware of offers to “arrange” such a visa.
  • A new contract — notify immigration within 14 days (work statuses).

Work visas · Engineer/Specialist · Specified Skilled Worker · Notifications

FAQ

Questions about job sites and agencies

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Ask us a question

Which job sites in Japan are in English?

Among others, GaijinPot Jobs, Daijob, CareerCross, Jobs in Japan, TokyoDev and Japan Dev work in English, and LinkedIn is used by many international companies in Japan. Indeed Japan, Wantedly and the Hello Work site are mainly in Japanese. We do not rank them: choose by your field and sign up on several.

No. Under the Employment Security Act an agency may not charge the job seeker; the employer pays. There are narrow exceptions: a registration fee of up to ¥690 for certain performing, modeling, domestic and catering jobs, and a placement fee for managers, scientists and engineers and certified skilled tradespeople earning over ¥7,000,000 a year. Even then the fee is capped at 10.8% of the wages paid, counting at most the first 6 months.

Ask for the exact company name in Japanese and the license number, then search for them in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare database, 人材サービス総合サイト. The name, address and number must match. If the agency is not listed, do not send documents or money.

No. Only immigration grants a status of residence. The employer applies for your Certificate of Eligibility, or you apply for a change of status in Japan with the employer’s documents. Anyone selling a visa guarantee is running a scam.

Yami baito means dark part-time jobs: “easy money” offers to pick up parcels, open bank accounts or make calls, which are recruitment for fraud and robbery. Posting such ads is a crime, and taking part leads to a criminal case and the loss of your visa. If you are already involved, call the police consultation line: press # and then 9110.

They serve different needs. Hello Work is free, has many local jobs and centers for foreigners, but most jobs need Japanese. English-language sites and agencies are stronger for IT and international companies. Most people use both.

No. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidelines tell employers not to keep foreign workers’ passports or residence cards. Showing a document when you are hired is normal; handing it over for safekeeping is not.

Sources

Where this information comes from

Rates, limits and deadlines on this page were checked against the official websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hello Work, the Tokyo Labour Bureau and the Immigration Services Agency on October 7, 2026. Amounts are in Japanese yen. When a rule changes we update the page and the date above.

This page is general information. Private sites are described by their own pages on the date above; we do not rank them and receive no money from them. Terms and prices change — check the site. For a dispute with an agency or employer, contact the Labor Bureau of your prefecture or a lawyer.

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