Remote’s guide to employing in

Japan
japan flag

Make employment in Japan easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Japan, all in one easy-to-use platform.

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor Management
  • Capital City

    Tokyo

  • Currency

    Japanese yen (¥, JPY)

  • Languages

    Japanese

  • Population size

    125,620,000

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor Management
The pagoda is red.

Facts & Stats

Japan
  • Capital City

    Tokyo

  • Currency

    Japanese yen (¥, JPY)

  • Languages

    Japanese

  • Population size

    125,620,000

  • Ease of doing business

    Very easy

  • Cost of living index

    87.77 (2021)

  • Payroll frequency

    Monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    5%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    0.7% (2019)

Japan has enjoyed a long, rich history spanning around 2,000 years, and has given rise to a wonderful cultural heritage featuring samurai, ninjas, calligraphy, origami, sushi, ramen, and of course, anime!

Armed with a $5.5 trillion GDP, Japan is the world’s third-largest economy, built on powerful technology, automotive, tourism, and telecoms industries. And with unusually low unemployment figures, a welcoming population, and growing cultural diversity, Japan has maintained a solid place on the top of the world’s most desirable places to do business.

Grow your team in Japan with Remote

Looking to hire employees in Japan? Companies hiring in Japan must either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country. Remote can employ team members in Japan and keep you compliant at all times.

Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Japan team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Japan. Sign up now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.

Risks of misclassification

Japan, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Japan may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.

People walking down a street in tokyo.

Employing in Japan

Japanese labour laws are outlined across two regulations, namely:

  • The Japanese Civil Code, and

  • The Labour Standards Act of 1947

Both of these define provisions for employee protections and workers’ rights which apply to Japan’s workforce of 68.7 million.

Employees in Japan enjoy protections against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race.

Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Japan.

Minimum Wage

In Japan, minimum wage is determined by region. The minimum wage in Tokyo is ¥1,163 per hour.

Payroll Cycle

For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly instalments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.

Onboarding Time

We can help you get a new employee started in Japan fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 12 working days.

Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.

For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.

Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.

16 Public holidays

Jan
Monday, January 1, 20241New Year's Day (元旦)
Monday, January 8, 20242Coming of Age Day (成人の日)
Feb
Sunday, February 11, 20243National Foundation Day (建国記念の日)
Friday, February 23, 20244The Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日)
Mar
Wednesday, March 20, 20245Vernal Equinox Day (春分の日)
Apr
Monday, April 29, 20246Shōwa Day (昭和の日)
May
Friday, May 3, 20247Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日)
Saturday, May 4, 20248Greenery Day (みどりの日)
Sunday, May 5, 20249Children's Day (こどもの日)
Jul
Monday, July 15, 202410Marine Day (海の日)
Aug
Sunday, August 11, 202411Mountain Day (山の日)
Sep
Monday, September 16, 202412Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日)
Sunday, September 22, 202413Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日)
Oct
Monday, October 14, 202414Health and Sports Day (体育の日)
Nov
Sunday, November 3, 202415Culture Day (文化の日)
Saturday, November 23, 202416Labour Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日)

Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!

Effortless HR in Japan: Take the Tour

Seamlessly Manage Your Workforce, from First Hire to Final Paycheck

Competitive benefits package in Japan

At Remote, we’re passionate about helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in developing globally competitive benefits programs. This means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive, and your company has the localised expertise to needed attract and keep the best global talent.

Our benefits packages in Japan are tailored to fulfil the local needs of employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Mental Health Support

  • Pension or 401(K)

  • Life and Disability Insurance

Fair Pricing in Japan

Employer of Record

Hire and pay your global team

Starting at $809/month

for annual plans

Top features

  • Satisfaction guaranteed

  • No deposits or hidden fees

  • Zero onboarding or offboarding fees

  • Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting

  • Built-in security and compliance

  • Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)

  • Flexible, localised benefits

Contractor Management

Compliantly onboard and pay contractors

$39

per contractor/month

Top features

  • Only pay for contractors you actively work with

  • Work with contractors in 200+ countries

  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts

  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay

  • Transparent payments with complete visibility

Global Payroll

Consolidate your multi-country payroll

$39

per employee/month

Top features

  • Reduce costs by centralising payroll management

  • Direct support from in-house local payroll experts

  • Accurate, on-time, compliant payroll to level-up your employee experience

  • Ensure local compliance for every country

  • Tax and labour authority reporting handled for you

HRIS

Manage all of your employees in one place

Free

Top features

  • Guided onboarding and offboarding

  • Employee profile and document management

  • Time and attendance (time off and tracking)

  • Expense management and reimbursement

  • Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app