Hiring Chinese and Taiwanese talent under Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services — labour and residence renewal

Bottom line first: When hiring Chinese or Taiwanese talent under Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services ("Gijinkoku"), the first thing to confirm is "whether the person's academic background or practical experience relates to the duties you will assign". If this is off, the eligibility of the status collapses. In labour after hiring, the items to disclose in working conditions increased from 1 April 2024 (Reiwa 6), and social and employment insurance apply, regardless of nationality, where the requirements are met. And overtime and wage trouble tells, at the renewal of the period of stay, as the appropriateness of labour management.

The application agency for the certification, change and renewal of the status of residence is a Gyoseishoshi's work, and a Shakai Hoken Roumushi cannot act as an application agent for a residence application. It is an independent business entity from this office, contracted separately. What this office takes on is labour and social-insurance design; individual determinations are made by a qualified professional after a consultation.

When hiring Chinese and Taiwanese talent under Gijinkoku, what do you confirm first?

Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services is a work status of residence set in Appended Table I-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, bundling the technical fields of science and engineering, the humanities-knowledge fields of law, economics and society, and the international-services fields such as interpretation, translation, language instruction and overseas-trade work. Whether it is permitted first turns on the relation between the person's academic background or practical experience and the duties assigned.

What to confirm	The labour-side point
Job content	Is it professional or technical work, not simple labour? Write the job content concretely in the employment contract
Academic background / practical experience	For the technical and humanities fields, a related academic background or a certain number of years of practical experience; for international services, in principle three or more years of practical experience (with exceptions such as language instruction)
Relation to duties	Does the major or practical experience connect to the duties assigned?
Remuneration	Is it at or above the amount for a Japanese doing the same work?

The final judgment on "eligibility" for Gijinkoku is made by the Immigration Services Agency, and the certification and change application is a Gyoseishoshi's work. This office designs whether the underlying job content, remuneration and working conditions accord with labour-related laws. For the whole picture of the procedures that move when hiring one foreign worker, see How many windows do you need to hire one foreign worker; for points leaning to highly-skilled professionals and IT engineers, see Labour and social insurance when hiring highly-skilled professionals (foreign IT engineers).

How far does disclosure of working conditions need mother-tongue support?

Disclosure of working conditions is a duty under Article 15(1) of the Labor Standards Act, and the items to be disclosed are set out in Article 5 of the Enforcement Ordinance. From 1 April 2024 (Reiwa 6) the items increased. Disclosure in a foreign (mother) tongue is not itself a legal duty, but showing it in a language the person understands is safer, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes multilingual model working-condition notices.

Items added in April 2024	Content
Scope of change of workplace and duties	Disclose the range of workplace and duties that may change through future reassignment
Renewal cap	Where a fixed-term contract has a cap on renewal count or aggregate period, its content
Opportunity to apply for indefinite conversion	At each renewal timing where the indefinite-conversion application right arises, that fact
Working conditions after indefinite conversion	The working conditions if converted to indefinite

Gijinkoku is often hired on a fixed-term contract, in which case the renewal cap and indefinite-conversion disclosures apply directly. Mother-tongue disclosure is not a duty, but if the content does not get across with a Japanese-only notice, it leads to later trouble and to a burden of explanation at residence renewal. For disclosure to foreign workers considered up to mother-tongue support, see How far does disclosure of working conditions to foreign workers need mother-tongue support; for the 2024-amendment disclosure items themselves, see The 2024 amendment to working-condition disclosure — what is the scope of change.

When do you enrol them in social and employment insurance?

Social insurance (health insurance and employees' pension) and employment insurance apply by the same rules as for Japanese, regardless of nationality or status of residence. A person ordinarily used at an applicable workplace becomes an insured person from the time of hiring where the requirements are met. "Because they are foreign, put it off" cannot be done.

Insurance	Idea of enrolment
Health insurance / employees' pension	A person ordinarily used at an applicable workplace is insured regardless of nationality. Part-timers by the three-quarters standard; at a specified applicable workplace, 20 or more hours a week, monthly wages of 88,000 yen or more, expected employment of more than two months, and not a student
Employment insurance	Insured with 20 or more scheduled hours a week and an employment prospect of 31 days or more (to be expanded to 10 or more hours a week from October 2028)
Workers' accident compensation insurance	Applies to a worker regardless of nationality or status of residence
Foreign-employment status notification	Notify Hello Work at each hiring and separation (Labour Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act Article 28(1))

Double enrolment with the home country's system can be adjusted, with a certificate of coverage, only with countries that have concluded a social-security agreement. There is an agreement with China but no provision to aggregate pension periods, and with Taiwan there is no agreement at all. This difference is set out in The social-security agreement and double enrolment for China postings and Social insurance when hiring or receiving on secondment from Taiwan. Income tax and the tax treatment between Japan and China / Japan and Taiwan are a tax accountant's field.

How do you avoid labour trouble that tells at residence renewal?

At the renewal of the period of stay, the review also looks at the continuity of employment and the appropriateness of the company's labour management. Unpaid overtime and a divergence between contract and reality can work against you at the renewal scene. Keeping labour in order directly lowers the renewal risk.

What easily happens	Labour-side measure
Unpaid overtime	Grasp working time objectively and correctly calculate the premiums for overtime, late-night and holiday work (Labor Standards Act Article 37)
Gap between contract and reality	Match the disclosed job content and workplace with the actual work
Mismatch of residence expiry and contract period	Design the term and renewal cap of the fixed-term contract together with the residence expiry
Change of job content	Confirm the residence-status angle in advance for a reassignment that affects Gijinkoku eligibility

The residence expiry and the employment-contract period are two clocks that run separately. This design is set out in Which expires first, the residence expiry or the employment-contract period. Note that the prospect of whether a renewal is permitted, and the permissibility of an individual non-renewal, are not concluded in this article. The permission judgment is made by the Immigration Services Agency, and disputed matters are handled by an attorney.

From hiring to residence renewal, who bears what?

When hiring Chinese and Taiwanese talent under Gijinkoku, the responsible qualifications split.

Issue	In charge
Employment contract and working-condition disclosure, work rules and wage rules, social- and labour-insurance procedures, working-time and wage management	Shakai Hoken Roumushi (this office)
Application agency for the certification, change and renewal of the status of residence; sorting the relation of duties and academic background	Gyoseishoshi (application agent)
Income tax and the tax treatment between Japan and China / Japan and Taiwan	Tax accountant
Objections to a refusal and other disputed responses	Attorney
Securing housing (company housing / rental)	Real estate

Have a question about your situation?

Tell us about your social insurance, payroll or employment enquiry.

Chat on LINEContact us

Because a Shakai Hoken Roumushi cannot act as an application agent for a residence application, the residence application is always referred to a Gyoseishoshi. 四葉行政書士事務所 is an independent business entity from this office; where needed, we introduce it under a separate contract that you conclude directly, and this office takes no referral fee. Securing housing is accepted by 四葉不動産株式会社, also as a separate business entity.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

What this office takes on is designing the labour and social insurance when hiring Gijinkoku talent.

• Disclosure of working conditions (including the 2024-amendment scope of change, renewal cap and indefinite conversion) and drawing up the employment contract
• Preparing work rules and wage rules
• Judging and processing social- and employment-insurance enrolment, and the foreign-employment status notification
• Designing the management of working time, overtime and premium wages
• Checking labour management so that it does not tell against residence renewal

The following are not handled here.

• Application agency for the certification, change and renewal of the status of residence, and sorting the relation of duties and academic background → 四葉行政書士事務所 accepts these as a separate business entity
• Securing housing (company housing / rental) → 四葉不動産株式会社 accepts this as a separate business entity
• Income tax and tax treatment → we connect you with a tax accountant (Zeirishi)
• Disputed responses → we connect you with an attorney (Bengoshi)

四葉不動産株式会社, 四葉行政書士事務所 and 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 each accept work as an independent business entity, under a separate contract. Where another professional is introduced, you contract with them directly, and this office receives no referral fee.

Consultations are free of charge. Fees are set out in the fee schedule; see also our services and how a consultation proceeds.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When hiring Chinese and Taiwanese talent under Gijinkoku, what do you confirm first?
A. The relation between the person's academic background or practical experience and the duties you will assign. For the technical and humanities fields, a related academic background or a certain number of years of practical experience; for international services, in principle three or more years of practical experience (with exceptions such as language instruction) is the yardstick, and the work must be professional or technical, not simple labour. The final judgment on eligibility is made by the Immigration Services Agency, and the certification and change application is a Gyoseishoshi's work. This office designs the underlying job content, remuneration and working conditions in accordance with labour-related laws.

Q. Must working conditions be disclosed to foreign workers in their mother tongue?
A. Disclosure in a foreign (mother) tongue is not itself a legal duty. But showing it in a language the person understands is safer, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes multilingual model working-condition notices in English, Chinese and other languages. From April 2024, disclosure of the scope of change of workplace and duties, the renewal cap and indefinite-conversion matters increased (Labor Standards Act Article 15(1); Enforcement Ordinance Article 5). If the content does not get across with a Japanese-only notice, it leads to later trouble and to a burden of explanation at residence renewal.

Q. From when can foreign employees enrol in social and employment insurance?
A. Regardless of nationality or status of residence, the rules of application are the same as for Japanese. A person ordinarily used at an applicable workplace becomes an insured person of health insurance and employees' pension from the time of hiring where the requirements are met; workers' accident compensation insurance covers every worker, and employment insurance applies with 20 or more hours a week and an employment prospect of 31 days or more. Double enrolment with the home country's system can be adjusted, with a certificate of coverage, only with agreement countries; China has no aggregation of pension periods, and with Taiwan there is no agreement at all.

Q. Does overtime or wage trouble affect residence renewal?
A. At the renewal of the period of stay, the review also looks at the continuity of employment and the appropriateness of the company's labour management. Unpaid overtime and a divergence between contract and reality can work against you at the renewal scene. Grasping working time objectively, correctly calculating overtime, late-night and holiday premium wages, and matching the disclosed job content with the actual work are the measures. However, the prospect of whether a renewal is permitted is not concluded in this article. The permission judgment is made by the Immigration Services Agency.

Basis for this article

• Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951) Appended Table I-2 — status of residence "Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services" (activities in the technical fields of science and engineering, the humanities knowledge of law, economics and society, and international services such as interpretation, translation and language instruction)
• The idea of academic background / practical experience / relation to duties / remuneration (at or above the amount for a Japanese doing the same work) for Gijinkoku — the Immigration Services Agency's guidance and examination guidelines on the "Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services" status (accessed 17 September 2026). The final judgment on eligibility is made by the Immigration Services Agency
• Labor Standards Act (Act No. 49 of 1947) Article 15(1); Enforcement Ordinance Article 5 — disclosure of working conditions. By the amendment enforced on 1 April 2024 (Reiwa 6), the scope of change of workplace and duties, the renewal cap, and the opportunity to apply for indefinite conversion and the working conditions after conversion were added to the items to disclose
• Disclosure in a foreign (mother) tongue is not a legal duty, but the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes multilingual model working-condition notices in English, Chinese and other languages (accessed 17 September 2026)
• Same Act, Article 37 — premium wages for overtime, holiday and late-night work
• Health Insurance Act (Act No. 70 of 1922) and Employees' Pension Insurance Act (Act No. 115 of 1954) — applicable workplaces and insured status (a person ordinarily used is insured regardless of nationality or status of residence where the requirements are met; part-timers by the three-quarters standard, and at a specified applicable workplace 20 or more hours a week, monthly wages of 88,000 yen or more, expected employment of more than two months, and not a student)
• Employment Insurance Act (Act No. 116 of 1974) Article 6 — insured with 20 or more scheduled hours a week and an employment prospect of 31 days or more (to be expanded to 10 or more hours a week from October 2028)
• Act on Comprehensively Advancing Labour Measures, and Stabilising the Employment of Workers and Enriching Their Working Lives, Article 28(1) — foreign-employment status notification
• Social-security agreements — adjustment of double enrolment only with agreement countries. There is an agreement with China but no provision to aggregate pension periods, and no agreement is concluded with Taiwan (the Japan Pension Service and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the status of social-security agreements; accessed 17 September 2026)
• The judgment of Gijinkoku eligibility, the prospect of residence renewal, and the permissibility of an individual non-renewal turn on the Immigration Services Agency and the circumstances of the case. This article does not conclude on them (unverified)
• The year requirements of academic background / practical experience and the concrete application of the relation to duties differ by occupation and career; individual permissibility is not covered here (unverified)

This article is general information. Individual determinations are made by a qualified professional after a consultation, in light of individual circumstances. 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 can advise on the disclosure of working conditions (including the 2024-amendment scope of change, renewal cap and indefinite conversion) and drawing up the employment contract, preparing work rules and wage rules, judging and processing social- and employment-insurance enrolment, the foreign-employment status notification, and designing the management of working time, overtime and premium wages. The application agency for the certification, change and renewal of the status of residence is accepted by 四葉行政書士事務所 as a separate business entity, and securing housing (company housing / rental) by 四葉不動産株式会社 as a separate business entity, each contracted separately. Income tax and tax treatment are matters we connect you with a tax accountant (Zeirishi) for, and disputed responses with an attorney (Bengoshi). If a different professional is needed, each is contracted separately, and there is no referral fee. Frequently asked questions are collected in the FAQ. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi, Gyoseishoshi, Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).