Code, designs, and inventions built in Japan don’t automatically belong to the company that benefits from them, and the rules for who does own them

What “permanent establishment” means, and how Japanese law defines when it applies Most of the conversation around hiring in Japan through an EOR focuses on

The most difficult aspect of the EOR experience in Japan. Do your research so you know what the guard rails are and how to push

Harder to stay permanently. Easier to arrive as top talent. Two government documents published months apart, from two different offices, tell a more complete story

A checklist for employers October 1, 2026 is the effective date for five separate regulatory changes, arriving from three different ministries under three different statutes,

Japan has required equal pay for dispatched workers since 2020. What changes on October 1, 2026 isn’t the underlying rule, it’s how hard that rule

How a foreign company handles Japan’s consumption tax tells you almost everything about whether it can be trusted to employ your people here. When you

What employers must do before October 2026 What it is, in short Starting October 1, 2026, Japanese employers have a specific legal duty to protect

What’s confirmed, and what’s still a plan On July 24, 2026, the government held the third meeting of its Ministerial Council on the Acceptance of

“Employer of Record” is a commercial term. It does not appear anywhere in Japanese law. That gap causes more confusion than almost anything else in

The legal guardrails for shukko (出向)”secondment” in Japan, in the government’s own words “Secondment” gets used loosely in cross-border HR conversations. Japanese law is not

Choosing an Employer of Record (EOR) is about much more than payroll, contracts, or monthly service fees. The real test of an EOR comes when

Many overseas companies looking to hire in Japan are presented with an “EOR solution” that is actually structured as outsourcing, secondment, or a combination of

Introduction When discussing Employer of Record (EOR), secondment (出向), and worker dispatch (派遣), many articles begin with conclusions. Instead, let’s begin with the Japanese government’s

Know the Facts, Question Counsel, Respect the Risks When companies enter Japan, they are often presented with various workforce solutions described as outsourcing, secondment (出向),

Setting Up a Company in Japan as a Foreigner: Why the “Business Manager” Visa Is Far More Difficult Than It Looks For foreign professionals and

Introduction Employer of Record (EOR) and Global Employment Outsourcing (GEO) services have become increasingly popular for international companies expanding into Japan. Many organizations contact Smart

Employer of Record (EOR) Services in Japan – Hire Employees Without a Local Entity What is an Employer of Record (EOR) in Japan? An Employer

What to Ask Before You Choose a Partner We regularly receive inquiries related to Employer of Record (EOR) services in Japan, and they typically come from