This section explains some basic information briefly which should be recognized by foreigners working in Japan or intending to do so.

Foreign nationals who are permitted to work in Japan and those who are not.

When you look for a job.

Labour related laws you need to be aware of

When you resign from a company

Other insurance systems for workers

When you look for a job.

Dispatching workers to enterprise or providing placement service without authorization is illegal. Please be careful not to fall prey to illegal brokers when looking for a job in Japan.

When you look for a job in Japan, Please make use of the Public Employment Security Offices. (= Hello Work Offices)

Public Employment Security Offices provide services such as job counseling, offering information about job in japan vacancies, placement service, etc. to foreign nationals having residential statuses which allow them to work.

600 Public Employment Security Offices in major municipalities in Japan are connected by an on-line system, so you can get information about job vacancies in any of Public Employment Security Offices. You can make use of these offices nearby when you look for a job.

If you need language assistance, there are some offices with Employment Service Corner for Foreigners where interpreters are available ( in Tokyo / throughout Japan ).

Further more, there is the "Employment Service Center for Foreigners" in Tokyo and also in Osaka.

Procedures for applying for a job at Public Employment Security Offices

• Fill in application card to register
• Talk over working conditions, type of work,wages and working hours you wish with the staff and you will be given advice on selecting a job from the vacancy list.
• You can see the information of the vacancy freely.
• If you find a vacant position that interests you, the staff will contact the company and arrange a certain day for you to visit.
• Visit the company on the appointed day and have an interview.

Concerning Labour Supply Service

As a general rule, the Employment Security Law prohibits labour supply service which sends employees to work for other people, except for the following system of dispatching workers.

On dispatching workers

The Worker Dispatching Law prescribes that an employer has to obtain a license from, or report to the Minister of Welfare and Labour, when the employer dispatches an employee, whom the agent employs as its own company staff, to another company with which a worker dispatching contract has been agreed. The dispatched employee works at the designated company under the order or instruction of that company.

Worker dispatch can be carried out of any types of work except for work related to Port transport, Construction work, Security work, Work related to medical care and Work involving manufacturing articles.
It is illegal to operate a worker dispatch business without obtaining permission or making a notification, or to dispatch workers employed to another company in types of work which are excepted.

For example, dispatching workers for unskilled jobs at factories or construction sites is illegal.

With the increasing number of foreign nationals working in Japan, the number of illegal brokers who violate the Worker Dispatching Law and the Employment Security Law has increased. This has brought damages such as intermediary exploitation or vile dismissal of foreign nationals who contacted the brokers in order to find a job.

Because those brokers are illegally working, you may also be meeting with difficulties when the broker is exposed.

When you look for a job, you should be careful not to contact illegal brokers, but go through official channels, such as Public Employment Security Offices.

If you wish to know if employers have authorization of fee-charging employment services of worker dispatching services, please ask the staff of the Public Employment Security Office of your living jurisdiction.