Employer of record in Japan
32 sourced figures on hiring in Japan, drawn from 8 sources and normalized for comparison: statutory rules, employer cost and exactly what an EOR covers locally. Every figure is dated.
Hiring here: moderately complex, mid-range on cost, and fast to hire via EOR.
Employer of record in Japan: the statutory snapshot
The headline employer costs, pay floor and worker protections for hiring in Japan through an employer of record, each figure sourced and dated. 44 EOR providers cover Japan.
| Minimum wage | JPY 182,726/mo | ILOSTAT, 2024-01-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Employer social security | 15.66% | OECD |
| Tax and mandatory contributions wedgeOECD, taxes plus non-tax compulsory payments such as mandatory private pension and health contributions | 33.1% | OECD |
| Corporate tax | 29.74% | OECD, 2026-01-01 |
| Average income tax | 7.95% | OECD |
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Severance | None | World Bank Employing Workers / B-READY, 2019-05-01 |
| Annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 10 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
As of 2026-10-04. Each value is the winning figure from primary and harmonized sources, resolved by a documented priority chain. Full record with provenance below.
Reading the data
What the figures say about Japan
The statutory minimum wage in Japan is JPY 182726 per month (ilostat, 2024), against an average monthly wage of JPY 307400 per month for employees (ilostat, 2021). On top of pay, employers face a social security rate of 15.66% and employees pay 14.7% (OECD, 2025), which together sit within a tax and mandatory contributions wedge of 33.1%. Corporate tax is set at 29.74% (OECD, 2026). Ending a contract carries a statutory notice period of 4.3 weeks, and the World Bank records no statutory severance (0 weeks). Employment protection scores 2.10 on a 0-6 scale for regular contracts and 1.32 for temporary ones (OECD, 2025). Statutory entitlements include 10 days of annual leave and 16 public holidays, plus 14 weeks of maternity leave, 8 weeks of paternity leave and 52 weeks of parental leave (national government, 2026). Average annual hours worked come to 1598 hours per year (OECD, 2025).
Where to start
Three ways to hire in Japan
You are the employer. Lowest per head cost at scale, months to establish.
You direct the work, the provider's local entity is the employer on paper. Compliant in days.
See the 44 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 32 figures for Japan from 8 sources, last refreshed 2026-10-04. Each value carries its source and the date it was pulled. Hover any provenance tag for the full chain.
The differentiator
What an EOR handles in Japan
An EOR removes the entity and the payroll machinery. It does not remove your obligations as the people manager.
Provider × country
Who can employ in Japan
44 providers operate an EOR in Japan, ranked by Select Score.
Comparing EOR options for Japan?
Run a side-by-side on the providers that actually operate there.