Recruitment & hiring: labor matters

Which parts of hiring can we ask you to handle?

We do not handle choosing the person. We handle what comes after the decision — and the condition-setting before it. The table mirrors the categories in our fee table.

→ Fee table (recruitment consulting is quoted per engagement)

Why can't we ask you for introductions?

Because it is a licensed business. The Employment Security Act (日本語：職業安定法) defines employment placement as receiving offers of jobs and applications for jobs, and arranging the establishment of an employment relationship between the job offerer and the job seeker (Article 4, Paragraph 1), and doing this for a fee requires a license from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Article 30, Paragraph 1).

This office does not hold that license. Therefore we cannot take on requests to "go find us good people". Staffing agencies and job boards operate on those licenses and notifications. The roles are different, so it is not a comparison. What this office takes on is putting your relationship with the person you hired in order, in documents and procedures.

What must a job posting state?

At the recruiting stage there is a duty to state the work to be performed, wages, working hours, and other working conditions (Employment Security Act, Article 5-3, Paragraph 1). This is a separate duty from stating working conditions at the time of hiring (Labor Standards Act, Article 15). The practice of "the posting is just an ad; details at the interview" comes from treating these two as one.

And if the posting and the actual conditions diverge, you will be asked to explain later. Early resignations often start from this mismatch. Showing us the posting before it goes out is the engagement with the least rework.

* The detailed items required by the ordinance under the Employment Security Act, and the items added by the 2022 amendment, have not been individually verified as of writing (unverified). Actual requirements are advised at the consultation.

When hiring a foreign national, who do you ask for what?

Entrance (residence status) = administrative scrivener; after hiring (labor & social insurance) = Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant; housing = licensed real-estate business. Welcoming even one person involves three different qualifications.

→ Bringing an employee from overseas (四葉行政書士事務所)／Company housing (Yotsuba Real Estate)

* Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd., 四葉行政書士事務所, and 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 are independent business entities and accept engagements separately. Contracts, invoices, and payment accounts are separate (no referral fees). You may engage only the part you need.

Can an international student start on April 1?

They cannot work until the change of residence status is granted. An offer alone is not enough; a change from "Student" to a work-eligible status is required. Because the application takes time, it can miss the start date.

What this office takes on is designing the labor side until the permission comes through — what to write in the offer letter, where to set the start date, and how to treat the waiting period if permission is delayed. These are employment-contract questions. Eligibility for the residence status is judged by the Immigration Services Agency, and the application is handled by 四葉行政書士事務所 (separate contract).

* The application window and standard processing period have not been individually verified as of writing (unverified). Schedules are advised at the consultation based on the Immigration Services Agency's published materials.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

We support the "before" and "after" of hiring, in documents and procedures. Before: organizing working conditions for postings and recruitment guidelines. After: drafting working-condition notices, employment contracts, and offer letters, plus insurance procedures on joining. Hiring-related subsidies are taken on for advisory clients.

The representative works in Chinese and English. When hiring foreign nationals, we can explain the working conditions to the person directly, without an outside translation agency. As a journalist he served as China General Bureau Chief, stationed in China, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Consultations are free, both the first time and after. Come to us at the stage of "look at this posting before it goes out" or "pin down the conditions before we make the offer". Deciding before you publish is faster than fixing after.

→ Fee table／From consultation to contract／Contact

Sources for this page

• Definition of employment placement = Employment Security Act (Act No. 141 of 1947), Article 4, Paragraph 1
• License for fee-charging employment placement = Article 30, Paragraph 1 of the same Act
• Statement of working conditions when recruiting = Article 5-3, Paragraph 1 of the same Act
• Statement of working conditions on concluding an employment contract = Labor Standards Act (Act No. 49 of 1947), Article 15; Article 5 of its ordinance
• Notification of employment status of foreign nationals = Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labor Policies (Act No. 132 of 1966), Article 28, Paragraph 1

* The provisions of the Employment Security Act were checked on e-Gov on August 14, 2026. The ordinance's required items, the latest amendment of Article 5 of the Labor Standards Act ordinance, and standard processing periods for status-change applications have not been individually verified (unverified).

This page is general information. Individual cases are advised after review by the licensed consultant.