Most engineers moving to Japan use an agency, because agencies are the loudest part of the market and because applying to a Japanese company from overseas feels like shouting into a void.
Agencies are genuinely useful. But it helps to understand how they get paid, because that explains most of their behaviour — including the parts that work against you.
How agencies get paid
A recruitment agency in Japan is paid by the employer, when you’re hired. The fee is a percentage of your first-year salary.
- Under Japan’s rules, an agency registers its maximum rate with the authorities; the registered ceiling can go up to 50%, but in practice most charge somewhere in the 20–35% range of your annual salary.
- So a ¥7M offer means a fee of roughly ¥1.4M–¥2.5M to the agency.
Three consequences follow, and they’re the whole story:
- They’re motivated to place you at a higher salary — your interests align here.
- They’re motivated to place you quickly, and at a company that hires through them. Companies that don’t use agencies never appear in your options.
- They protect their relationship with the employer. If they think you’ll be rejected, they may not submit you at all — you’re screened before the company ever sees you.
Should you ever pay an agency yourself?
Almost never. Japanese law lets agencies charge the job seeker only for a short list of occupations — entertainers, models, and “business managers”, “science and technology specialists” and “skilled technicians”. Even then, it’s allowed only when the job pays over ¥7M a year.
Source: MHLW — business operation guidance for fee-charging employment placement, section 6 (fees) (Japanese, PDF)
Engineers can fall under “science and technology specialist”, so a fee isn’t automatically illegal — but it is unusual. If an agency asks you for money to find you a job in Japan, stop and check carefully. The normal arrangement is that the employer pays and you pay nothing.
When an agency helps
- You’re applying from overseas. A good agent gets your documents in front of a human being, which is the hardest part from abroad.
- You don’t read Japanese. They translate, and they explain what the company actually meant.
- You want salary negotiated for you. Japanese candidates often don’t negotiate; an agent will, and their incentive points the same way as yours.
- You need the visa explained. Experienced agents have done the Certificate of Eligibility dance many times.
When an agency hurts
- Your options are limited to their client list. Many strong product companies hire directly and never appear.
- You may be screened out before the company sees you. The agent’s judgment replaces the company’s.
- Volume agents push volume. Some are essentially filling SES placements, which look like ordinary engineering jobs in a job description.
- The fee makes you expensive. For a small company, a candidate who costs an extra ¥2M in year one is a harder yes than an identical candidate applying directly.
Applying directly
Direct application is slower, but it removes the filter between you and the team.
Where the roles are
| Channel | Notes |
|---|---|
| English job boards for Japan (TokyoDev, Japan Dev, and similar) | Curated toward companies that hire internationally; many list “apply from abroad” |
| Company career pages | Product companies often hire only here. If you can name the company, check its own site |
| Used by foreign-owned firms and Japanese companies with international teams | |
| Referrals | The strongest channel anywhere, and Japan is no exception. Conferences, OSS, meetups |
What makes a direct application work from overseas
- State plainly, at the top: where you are, your visa status, and that you’re applying from abroad. Don’t make them guess.
- Say you’re aware relocation takes time — the CoE alone takes one to three months. It shows you’ve done your homework.
- Apply to fewer companies, properly. One tailored application beats ten generic ones.
What I’d do
Use both, deliberately:
- Make a shortlist of companies you actually want, from job boards and your own knowledge. Apply to those directly.
- Register with two or three agencies for the breadth you can’t see from outside. Tell them clearly what you will and won’t consider — especially if you want to avoid client-site placements.
- Never let an agent submit you somewhere you haven’t agreed to. Once you’re submitted through an agency, that company is usually “theirs” for a period, and applying directly afterwards gets complicated.
- Ask any agent two questions: “Is this a product company, or will I be placed at a client site?” and “Who is the end client?” The five kinds of tech company article explains why the answers matter.
Summary
- Agencies are paid by employers, typically 20–35% of your first-year salary. That shapes everything they do.
- You should not normally pay an agency yourself. The legal exceptions are narrow and apply only above ¥7M a year.
- Agencies help most when you’re overseas, don’t read Japanese, or want salary negotiated.
- They hurt when they limit you to their client list or screen you out before the company sees you.
- Do both: direct applications to companies you want, agencies for breadth.
This article is general information based on the official source linked above and my own experience in the Japanese tech industry. Agency practice varies widely.
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