Can I ask an AI about a labour question first, and then consult a shakai hoken roumushi?

In short: of course. Coming in after you have looked it up actually makes the consultation faster. But AI answers drift at the level of article numbers and effective dates. At Yotsuba we use AI too — for organising materials and laying out the issues — while judgement is made by the qualified professional.

This page is for owners and back-office staff who asked an AI a labour question first — and then wondered, "is this answer actually right?" Bring what you found, exactly as it is.

Where are AI answers right, and where are they dangerous?

For the broad shape of a system and the way of thinking about it, they are mostly useful. The danger sits in the details where one character changes everything: article numbers, effective dates, and whether a form exists at all.

These are not borrowed examples. They are errors this office actually caught and corrected while writing this column series, by going back to the primary sources (the statute text on e-Gov).

The plausible answer	What the primary source says
"Exempt under Article 6, paragraph 1, item 1 of the Employment Insurance Act"	Article 6 of the Employment Insurance Act has no paragraphs; the correct citation is "Article 6, item 1"
"Wage claims prescribe uniformly in 3 years"	The principle in Article 115 of the Labor Standards Act is 5 years. Under the substitution in Article 143, paragraph 3 of the Supplementary Provisions, retirement allowances prescribe in 5 years, and other wages — for the time being — in 3
"The Japan–China Social Security Agreement exemption applies where the posting is expected to be within 5 years"	It is not an expectation test: the exemption from the other country's system covers the first 5 years from the start of the posting (per materials published by the Japan Pension Service)
"On closing the business, file the labour insurance relationship extinction notification"	No such filing exists. The insurance relationship is extinguished by operation of law on the day after the business is abolished or ends (Act on the Collection of Labour Insurance Premiums, Article 5)

Each of these points in a plausible direction. But the first two are wrong as citations, the third gets the structure of the requirement wrong, and the fourth is a procedure that does not exist. Hunting for a non-existent filing across counters and search results costs you time by itself.

Why do the article numbers and effective dates drift?

There are structural reasons, common to AI and to explanatory articles on the web.

• Statutes move when they are amended. Explanations of the pre-amendment law stay online, and answers that learned from or cite them show the old shape
• Transitional measures live in the supplementary provisions. Read only the main text and you get "5 years"; read the supplementary provisions and you get "3 years for the time being" — the Labor Standards Act limitation period is exactly this shape
• Plausible-sounding forms get invented. From the general rule that procedures need filings, a filing name is generated that does not exist

That is why article numbers, effective dates and form names need to be checked against primary sources such as e-Gov before use. This holds whether or not an AI is involved.

How does Yotsuba use AI?

This office uses AI as well. We draw the line as follows.

• What we hand to AI: organising materials, surfacing the issues, drafting structure — that far
• Statutes, figures and forms are always checked against the primary sources. The errors in the table above were found in exactly that checking
• Judgement on an individual matter is made by the qualified representative. We never pass AI output on as an answer as it stands

The same approach applies in the work of 四葉不動産 and 四葉行政書士事務所 (each an independent business, engaged separately).

How should I bring in what the AI told me?

We welcome consultations at the stage where you feel it is "probably not worth a consultation yet". Checking an AI answer is a perfectly good way in. Three things make it fast.

What to bring	Form
The AI's answer	A screenshot is fine (with the prompt included, we can check even more precisely)
Your company's context	Industry, headcount, employment types — whatever the question assumed
What you want confirmed	One sentence — "can we proceed as this answer says?" — is enough

Consultation is free of charge. If the answer is right, it ends with "it's right." If it drifts, we show you where and how, alongside the statute.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所, in Kohinata, Bunkyo City, handles the preparation, agent filing and procedural representation of labour and social insurance filings, together with labour consultation and the drafting and revision of work rules. What you can handle yourselves with AI and software stays with you; we take only the parts that need judgement. Fees are published in the fee schedule, and the questions we are asked most often are collected on the FAQ page.

Whom to consult

Tax (including the year-end adjustment) is work for a tax accountant; registration for a judicial scrivener; matters already in dispute for an attorney. Residence-status applications, subsidies and company-formation documents are handled by 四葉行政書士事務所 (a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract). In every case, no referral fees change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I really bring in what the AI told me, as it is?
A. Yes. A screenshot is fine. Add the context the question assumed (industry, headcount, employment types) and one sentence — "can we proceed as this answer says?" — and the check goes quickly. Consultation is free.

Q. Where do AI answers tend to go wrong?
A. The broad shape of a system is usually about right; the drift is in details — article numbers, effective dates, whether a form exists. For example, wage claims do not prescribe "uniformly in 3 years": under Article 115 of the Labor Standards Act and Article 143, paragraph 3 of the Supplementary Provisions, retirement allowances prescribe in 5 years and other wages, for the time being, in 3.

Q. Does Yotsuba itself use AI?
A. Yes — for organising materials, surfacing issues and drafting structure. Statutes, figures and forms are always checked against primary sources, and judgement on individual matters is made by the qualified representative. AI output is never passed on as an answer as it stands.

Q. If the AI's answer turns out to be right, do I still pay for the consultation?
A. Consultation is free. If the answer is right, we tell you so and that is the end of it. If you then engage us for procedures or drafting of rules, the fees are shown in advance, following the fee schedule.

Sources for this article

• Employment Insurance Act (雇用保険法, Act No. 116 of 1974), Article 6 — current text confirmed on e-Gov on 14 August 2026 (no paragraph divisions; items 1 through 6)
• Labor Standards Act (労働基準法, Act No. 49 of 1947), Article 115; Article 143, paragraph 3 of the Supplementary Provisions — current text confirmed on e-Gov the same day
• Act on the Collection, etc. of Insurance Premiums of Labor Insurance (労働保険の保険料の徴収等に関する法律, Act No. 84 of 1969), Article 5 — current text confirmed on e-Gov the same day
• Agreement between Japan and the People's Republic of China on Social Security — Japan Pension Service, country page for China (viewed 14 August 2026)

The background to the third and fourth examples is covered in detail in How overseas business trips and overseas postings differ for workers' compensation and The social and labour insurance procedures when you close a company. Where freee's AI features stand now is set out in How far has the AI integration between freee HR and freee Accounting actually come?.

This article is general information. Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).