Most people reach Japan through an agency, and many agencies are legitimate. But the Specified Skilled Worker route involves people making expensive, irreversible decisions with incomplete information, in a second language — and that attracts intermediaries who should not be trusted.
The debt arrangements attached to foreign labour recruitment in Japan have been the subject of sustained international criticism for years. It did not end when the law changed. Here is what to check.
Verify before you act on this. The Specified Skilled Worker system is revised frequently. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the ministry responsible for your field are the sources that bind. This page is orientation, not authority.
Red flags
A guaranteed job. Nobody can guarantee you a placement in Japan. An employer has to choose you, and immigration has to approve it. Anyone promising a guaranteed outcome in exchange for a large payment is describing something they cannot deliver.
Large up-front fees, especially as a loan. This is the central mechanism of the problem. If the amount would take you years to repay, or if repayment is secured against your future wages, treat that as a warning rather than an inconvenience. Debt is what makes a worker unable to leave a bad placement, and inability to leave is where the real abuse starts.
Refusing to name the employer. You are entitled to know the company, the work and the location before you commit. “We will tell you later” is not a normal answer at the point money changes hands.
Contracts you cannot read. You should have a copy, in a language you understand, before signing. Take the time. An agency that pressures you to sign immediately is creating urgency on purpose.
Holding your passport or documents. Nobody should hold your passport. Not an agency, not an employer, not a support organisation. This is a serious warning sign at any stage.
Selling you a field that is closed. New applications in food service have been suspended since April 2026. An agency still selling that route is either not paying attention or is not being straight with you. See the food service route.
Steering you towards a test that does not count. The SSW language requirement is JFT-Basic 200+ or JLPT N4+. NAT-TEST and J.TEST do not satisfy it. See which Japanese exams count.
Claiming you must go through them to book your exams. You register for JFT-Basic yourself, directly, on Prometric. See how to register.
Vague fees. “Processing”, “documentation”, “service” — every charge should be itemised, explained and receipted.
Questions that separate good from bad
Ask these plainly, and watch how they are received:
- Who is the employer? Name, location, what the work is.
- What is the total cost to me, itemised, including everything?
- Is any of it repaid from my wages? Over what period, and at what total?
- Who is the registered support organisation, and how do I contact them directly?
- Are you licensed as a recruitment agency in this country?
- What is the gross wage and the expected net, and what is deducted?
- What is the accommodation, and what is the monthly charge?
- Can I have the contract to read, and take it away?
An agency operating properly will answer all eight without difficulty — they are ordinary questions about an employment arrangement. An agency that becomes irritated, evasive or urgent is giving you the most useful information you will get from it.
What good looks like
Clear itemised costs. A named employer and a named support organisation. A contract you can read and take away. No pressure to sign today. Willingness to put answers in writing. Verifiable licensing in your own country.
Where to verify
- Your own country’s labour ministry or overseas employment authority, for whether a recruiter is licensed.
- The Immigration Services Agency of Japan, for whether a support organisation is registered.
- People who have actually gone. Not testimonials on the agency’s own website — people you can speak to.
And know what you can do yourself
A great deal of this process does not require an agency at all. You register for JFT-Basic yourself. You can study for it with free material. The skills test is booked through the body administering it.
Where an agency genuinely adds value is in connecting you with an employer. That is a real service. It is not a reason to accept everything else unexamined.