Which EOR is best for hiring in Japan in 2026?

Depends on priority. Teamed leads on Japan employment-law depth (real experts on 36 Agreement and Labor Standards Act, every plan) and cost transparency (zero FX markup on JPY). Remote leads on self-serve with an owned EOR entity. Oyster on onboarding speed. Deel and Rippling on platform. G-P on enterprise governance. Ask any provider: real Japan employment-law experts, or a generalist ticket queue?

Does my EOR need to own a Japanese entity, or is a partner acceptable?

Both work compliantly. An owned Japanese entity means one employer in the chain for contracts, payroll and 36 Agreement obligations. A partner adds a sub-processor link. Ask each provider: is Japan owned or partner-served, and who carries accountability if a 36 Agreement filing or Rodo Kijun Ho termination goes wrong?

How does the 36 Agreement (san roku kyotei) affect my EOR arrangement in Japan?

Under Article 36 of the Rodo Kijun Ho, overtime cannot be required without a san roku kyotei (36 Agreement) filed with the Labor Standards Inspection Office by the EOR employer. It must state reasons, occupations and maximum hours. Your EOR needs real Japan employment-law experts to file it correctly. Ask: in-house and direct, or a generalist ticket queue?

What are the Japan employer social insurance contributions an EOR will pass through?

Japan employer shakai hoken runs roughly 14 to 16% of gross salary: Kosei Nenkin (~9.15%), Kenko Hoken (~5%), Koyo Hoken (~0.95%), Rousai Hoken (~0.25%). All EOR providers pass these at cost. Compare providers on the platform fee and FX transparency, not on statutory contributions.

When does it make sense to set up my own Kabushiki Kaisha instead of using an EOR in Japan?

The crossover is usually 5 to 10 full-time employees in Japan, where KK running costs drop below the cumulative EOR per-seat fee. Depends on salary levels and your EOR fee. Teamed models and proactively flags the crossover month. Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and runs your own entity across 90+ markets with no re-onboarding.

How current is this comparison, and how was it scored?

Competitor facts verified 17 June 2026 from each provider's pricing page and G2 listing. Japan statutory facts from official sources. Eight providers scored 1 to 5 on five Japan-focused criteria, no overall winner. Reviewed quarterly, pricing monthly.

Best EOR in Japan · 2026

The best EOR providers in Japan in 2026

No single winner. We scored eight EOR providers on a Japan-focused rubric: the 36 Agreement, Labor Standards Act termination rules, FX transparency on JPY conversions, and the month your own Kabushiki Kaisha beats EOR. Teamed leads on Japan compliance and cost transparency. Oyster leads on onboarding. Deel and Rippling lead on platform.

Talk to an expert

1,000+ companies advised

8
EOR providers scored on one Japan-focused rubric: $599
Teamed flat fee, same headline as Deel, FX absorbed at zero markup: 5
Japan-specific rubric criteria, no overall winner

Disclosure

This guide was produced by Teamed, one of the eight providers scored below on the same rubric as the rest. We don't crown an overall winner, we don't claim to be the lowest-priced, and we say plainly where another provider is the better fit for your Japan hire.

Last reviewed 17 June 2026By Tom Price-Daniel, Co-founder, Teamed

Which EOR provider is best for hiring in Japan in 2026?

What is an EOR in Japan?

An Employer of Record (EOR) in Japan legally employs your people through its own Japanese entity or a vetted local partner, so you can hire compliantly without incorporating a Kabushiki Kaisha (KK) first. The EOR issues a Japanese-law employment contract, runs payroll, remits income tax and mandatory shakai hoken contributions, and carries the obligations of the Japanese employer while you direct the work. Employer-side social insurance runs roughly 14 to 16% of gross salary, covering pension, health, employment and accident insurance.

Japan adds compliance layers most EOR arrangements do not anticipate. Article 20 of the Rodo Kijun Ho (Labor Standards Act) requires 30 days' advance notice of dismissal, or payment of 30 days' average wages in lieu. Separately, overtime cannot legally be required without a san roku kyotei (36 Agreement) filed with the local Labor Standards Inspection Office under Article 36 of the same Act. Ask any EOR whether real HR and legal experts with Japanese employment-law credentials handle these moments, or whether those questions go to a generalist ticket queue.

Methodology

How we scored this comparison

Each provider is scored 1 to 5 on five Japan-focused criteria. There's no weighted total and no overall winner. Different providers lead different columns. Teamed is scored on the same criteria as the rest.

Japan compliance depth: Owned Japanese entity or vetted local partner, plus real HR and legal experts with Japanese employment-law credentials who handle 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations, annual paid-leave management and mandatory medical checkups directly. How fast a real Japan employment-law expert responds at the hard moments is part of the score alongside entity structure.
Cost & FX transparency: Whether the headline fee is the real bill in Japan. FX margin on JPY salary conversion disclosed and itemised, no undisclosed spread or surprise setup and year-end fees. The JPY can move sharply against major billing currencies, making FX transparency material on Japanese compensation.
Platform & self-serve: Dashboard depth, integrations and API surface for teams running Japan hiring themselves. Includes payroll automation, annual health-checkup tracking and year-end adjustment (nenmats chosei) support.
Onboarding & speed: Speed to first Japan payroll and how well the product handles work permit and visa requirements for foreign nationals. Japan work authorisation categories carry their own eligibility rules; your EOR needs to know them before onboarding starts.
Lifecycle to Japan entity: Whether the provider moves you from contractor to EOR to your own Kabushiki Kaisha on one system, flags the crossover point, and can set up the entity through a service like Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO).

How we gathered evidence

Competitor facts come from Teamed's global provider fact-cache, last verified 17 June 2026 against each provider's own pricing page and G2 listing. Where a provider does not publish pricing (G-P is quote-only; Rippling lists a figure only on its own blog), we say so rather than presenting a third-party estimate as the provider's own number. Japan statutory compliance facts reference e-gov.go.jp, nenkin.go.jp and official MHLW sources. Teamed's claims come from teamed.global.

Considered & excluded

We scored the eight providers a rapidly growing company hiring its first employee in Japan would realistically evaluate.

Skuad, Atlas: Capable but with a thinner public track record than the eight scored.
Remofirst, Native Teams: Micro-business or lowest-price positioning, a different buyer than this list.

How they score, criterion by criterion

There’s no overall winner. Each column is a different priority. Pick the ones that matter to you, then read the write-ups below.

Provider	Japan compliance depth	Cost & FX transparency	Platform & self-serve	Onboarding & speed	Lifecycle to Japan entity
Teamed(us)	Leads	Leads			Leads
Deel			Leads
Remote
Oyster				Leads
Rippling
Papaya Global
G-P (Globalization Partners)
Velocity Global (now Pebl)

Scored 1–5 on each criterion from the published rubric above. The highlighted cell leads that column. Teamed is scored on exactly the same criteria as every other provider.

Teamed

Us, scored on the same rubric

Best for: rapidly growing companies hiring in Japan that want real HR and legal experts on call for 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations and FX absorbed at zero markup on JPY conversions, plus one partner from first Japan contractor to their own Kabushiki Kaisha.

Teamed leads with Japan employment-law depth. Real HR and legal experts handle the hard moments directly: filing a san roku kyotei (36 Agreement) with the Labor Standards Inspection Office, managing a Rodo Kijun Ho-governed termination that requires social acceptability to hold up in court, coordinating annual mandatory medical checkups and tracking the five-day paid-leave obligation. Expert access is standard on every plan, no AI bot wall and no Enterprise tier to unlock it.

The cost wedge is transparency. Japan salaries are denominated in JPY, and the yen can move sharply against USD or GBP. Teamed shows the applied FX rate on your Japan salary conversions next to the mid-market reference and absorbs it at zero markup on the fee. It also models the month your own Kabushiki Kaisha starts to beat EOR on cost, a question that comes up fast once you pass five to ten employees in Japan.

Teamed isn't trying to be your HRIS. It connects to the tech you already run and moves you from the first Japan contractor to EOR to your own entity on one system with no re-onboarding. Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and runs your Kabushiki Kaisha in 90+ markets, so the lifecycle advice is built in from day one.

Countries: 57 owned entities (Japan included), 180+ total reach with partners
Entity model: Owns a Japanese entity and employs your Japan staff directly through it; 57 owned entities worldwide plus vetted partners
Onboarding: As little as 24 to 48 hours
Contractors: Yes, with misclassification cover (Guard / Protect)
Pricing: $599 USD / £479 GBP / employee / month, flat, FX absorbed · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

Real HR and legal experts handle 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations, annual medical checkup coordination and mandatory paid-leave management directly. Expert access is standard on every plan, not gated behind a higher tier.
Zero FX markup on the fee. The applied JPY conversion rate sits next to the mid-market reference on every invoice. Teamed also models the month your own Kabushiki Kaisha beats EOR and flags it proactively.
A real escalation contact who knows your Japan account, rated 4.8 on G2 for service. No AI bot wall when a Labor Standards Inspection Office filing deadline is hours away.
One system from first Japan contractor to EOR to your own Kabushiki Kaisha, via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) across 90+ markets. No re-onboarding at any stage of the lifecycle.

Watch-outs

Lighter self-serve platform and shallower API than Deel or Rippling. The model is advisory, not dashboard-first.
Smaller brand and review base than Deel or G-P. Less recognition with a procurement team that wants the market-leading name.
The advisory model earns its weight with multiple Japan hires or a growing APAC headcount. For a single experimental hire with no plans to scale, a lighter self-serve platform may fit better.

Source: teamed.global/pricing

Deel

Best for: teams that want the broadest EOR platform, one of the broadest native integration catalogues in the category and a settled brand for their Japan hire, and who will manage compliance questions through the platform rather than via a dedicated expert.

Deel is the largest EOR platform in the category and covers Japan within its 150-plus country reach. Its platform leads this rubric: one of the broadest native integration catalogues in the category, polished self-serve flows and tooling that suits teams running Japan hiring without a dedicated HR manager.

The compliance gap in Japan is advisory depth. Deel does not publish a specific FX rate or spread, so the salary-conversion cost on JPY-denominated salaries is not visible as a line on the invoice. The dedicated Slack or Teams support channel sits on the Enterprise tier, which means a real person is not the default response to a 36 Agreement query, a Rodo Kijun Ho termination question or a work permit renewal unless you are on the higher plan.

For a team that wants platform depth and can manage Japan compliance edge cases through documentation, Deel is a strong choice. Model the JPY conversion cost on your real Japan salary before comparing with the flat-fee providers, since industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX at roughly 1.5 to 3% of salary, which is material on Japanese compensation levels and especially volatile given JPY movements.

Countries: 150-plus via owned entities + local partners
Entity model: Mix of owned entities and vetted partners; Japan covered
Onboarding: Days, self-serve
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: From $599 Standard, from $899 Enterprise per employee per month · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

One of the broadest EOR platforms in the category, with a large native integration catalogue and polished self-serve flows. Leads the platform column on this rubric alongside Rippling.
The largest brand and review base in the category. A procurement team that wants the market-leading name will recognise it immediately.
Fast self-serve onboarding into Japan and most other markets, with a mature contractor-management product alongside EOR.
Holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications today, which clears a procurement security gate for a Japan enterprise hire without a follow-up question.

Watch-outs

Does not publish a specific FX rate or spread. The JPY salary-conversion cost is not visible as a line on the invoice. Industry analysis puts undisclosed EOR FX at roughly 1.5 to 3% of salary, material on Japanese compensation levels.
The dedicated Slack or Teams support channel sits on the Enterprise tier. On the Standard plan, a 36 Agreement query or a Rodo Kijun Ho termination goes to a shared support queue.
Advisory depth on Japan employment-law edge cases is lighter than the specialist providers, which matters in a jurisdiction with strict termination protections and mandatory 36 Agreement filings.

Source: deel.com/pricing

Remote

Best for: teams that want a polished self-serve product, an owned EOR entity in Japan and a disclosed FX rate they can budget, with annual billing acceptable.

Remote markets a 100%-owned entity network across its 90+ EOR countries, making Japan a direct hire rather than a partner-routed one. Its platform is polished and self-serve, with a strong benefits and IP product. Owned-entity compliance is a genuine differentiator in Japan, where accountability on a 36 Agreement filing or a Rodo Kijun Ho-governed termination matters and you want one clear employer in the chain.

On FX, Remote is more transparent than Deel. It discloses its approach: the Remote FX rate is shown on the in-platform invoice breakdown each month. The disclosed rate is still a variable spread above mid-market, not a zero-markup line. The $599 headline requires annual billing; the month-to-month rate is $699.

The fit is a team that wants to run Japan hiring as a product rather than a service. Benefits administration and IP protection are mature in-product, and the self-serve flows hold up as headcount scales. Model the disclosed FX spread on your real Japan salary before comparing with the flat-fee providers, then decide whether the product depth and owned entity justify the variable cost.

Countries: 190+ locations, 90+ via owned EOR entities
Entity model: Markets a 100%-owned EOR entity network across its 90+ EOR countries; Japan likely owned within that network
Onboarding: Days to a few weeks
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: $599/mo on annual billing ($699 month to month) · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.6/5

Strengths

Markets a 100%-owned EOR entity network, so a Japan hire should sit in a Remote-owned entity rather than with a partner. One employer in the chain for contracts, payroll, social insurance and compliance obligations.
A polished self-serve platform with strong benefits administration and IP-protection tooling. Product experience is among the best in the category for a team running Japan hiring independently.
Pricing is published: $599 on annual billing, $699 month to month. You can budget it without a sales call, which is not true of every provider here.
Discloses its FX approach rather than concealing it. The Remote FX rate is visible on the in-platform invoice breakdown each month, though it is a blended rate, not zero markup.

Watch-outs

The $599 rate requires annual billing. Month to month is $699, so the real comparable price depends on the commitment you can make.
The disclosed Remote FX rate is a variable spread above mid-market. It is transparent, but it is not zero markup, and JPY volatility can make the spread material.
The model is product-led rather than advisory. A team that wants a real Japan employment-law expert on call for 36 Agreement or termination edge cases may find the self-serve flows are the primary support channel.

Source: remote.com/pricing

Oyster

Best for: smaller and fast-scaling teams that want automated onboarding into Japan and a dedicated Hiring Success Manager, with published pricing they can budget from day one.

Oyster is the automation-first choice for getting a Japan hire done quickly. Onboarding is fast and clean, a dedicated Hiring Success Manager is consistently praised in reviews, and a 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA is published. The product is built so a small team can run a Japan hire without a payroll specialist in-house.

Oyster does not publish how Japan specifically is served (owned entity or partner) or its owned-vs-partner split. That is worth pinning down when a 36 Agreement filing or a Rodo Kijun Ho termination comes into play. The Hiring Success Manager provides a human layer, but white-glove Japan employment-law advisory is billed separately at $300 per hour, so deep Japan statutory work is not all included.

Pricing is predictable: the published $699 per-employee headline means the first Japan hire costs what the tenth does, with setup, onboarding, HR-expert access and termination processing stated as included. B-Corp certification carries weight with procurement teams that screen on values. Against the specialist providers, you trade advisory depth for speed, published pricing and a strong customer-success relationship.

Countries: 120+ for EOR, 180+ all products
Entity model: Hybrid: owned entities and local partners; Japan ownership status not published
Onboarding: Fast, automated; a few weeks
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: $699 / employee / month (annual discounts noted, not published) · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.4/5 (1447)

Strengths

A strong, consistently praised Hiring Success Manager and clean automated onboarding, with a published 24-hour response and sub-72-hour resolution SLA. Oyster leads the onboarding column on this rubric.
Certified B-Corp with a published flat $699 headline and included essentials (setup, onboarding, HR-expert access, termination processing). Procurement teams that screen on values get a straightforward yes.
Automation that keeps pace when a fast-growing team adds Japan hires quickly, with one of the biggest G2 review bases in the category at roughly 1,447 reviews.
Holds SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance, a mature security posture that clears a Japan enterprise procurement gate for a platform of its size.

Watch-outs

Oyster does not publish whether Japan is owned-entity or partner-served. For a 36 Agreement filing, a Rodo Kijun Ho termination or a mandatory medical checkup obligation, ask clearly where the accountability sits.
Lighter lifecycle tooling, with no productised path from EOR to your own Kabushiki Kaisha as Japan headcount builds. EOR is positioned as the alternative to an entity, not a step toward one.
White-glove Japan employment-law advisory is billed separately at $300 per hour. A complex Rodo Kijun Ho termination or a work permit edge case can land on a meter rather than inside the subscription.

Source: oysterhr.com/pricing

Rippling

Best for: teams consolidating HR, IT and payroll onto one platform where Japan EOR is part of a broader system migration rather than a standalone hiring decision.

Rippling is the alternative if you want to run HR, IT and payroll on one platform. It matches the deepest platforms here for breadth, with 600+ integrations and a unified employee record across people, devices and access. New Japan hires slot into the same workflow as every other employee in your company, which is the consolidation argument.

EOR is the newer part of the Rippling product, delivered through a hybrid mix of Rippling-owned subsidiaries and partners across 80 EOR countries. Japan is available, but it does not publish EOR pricing on its primary pages: a $499 starting figure appears only on Rippling-owned blog listicles, and third-party estimators add a per-employee HR-platform base. Advisory depth on 36 Agreement filings and Rodo Kijun Ho compliance is lighter than the specialist providers.

For a team hiring in Japan without broader consolidation plans, a dedicated EOR is usually a cleaner fit. Get the all-in monthly number in writing before you commit: platform base plus EOR fee. Confirm too that Rippling can hold the Japan EOR engagement for as long as you need, without hitting a statutory employment-cap issue.

Countries: 80 for EOR via owned subsidiaries + partners
Entity model: Hybrid mix of Rippling-owned subsidiaries and partners; Japan covered within the 80-country EOR footprint
Onboarding: Fast, self-serve
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: Not published on primary pages; $499 starting figure cited on Rippling blogs · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.8/5

Strengths

The most powerful unified HR, IT and payroll platform here. Rippling carries 600+ integrations and co-leads the platform column on this rubric.
New Japan hire setup, payroll and access provisioning live in one workflow with every other employee. Device and app provisioning is built in.
Holds SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001, a deeper security certification stack than most EOR-only providers.
Fast, polished self-serve experience if you are standardising your whole people stack. Japan hires are not a special case in the product.

Watch-outs

EOR is less mature than the core Rippling product, covering 80 countries via a hybrid of owned subsidiaries and partners. Advisory depth on 36 Agreement filings and Rodo Kijun Ho edge cases is lighter than the specialist EOR providers.
Does not publish EOR pricing on its primary pages. The $499 figure lives only on Rippling-owned blogs, and a base HR-platform fee can sit on top; get the all-in Japan number before you compare.
Built to replace your HR stack, not to be your Japan employment-law partner. For 36 Agreement queries, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations or work permit edge cases, confirm how the Rippling support model routes you to a Japan specialist.

Source: rippling.com/eor

Papaya Global

Best for: enterprises running multi-country payroll at scale where Japan is one of many markets and finance-grade payroll consolidation across 130+ currencies matters more than advisory depth.

Papaya Global is the payroll-at-scale choice for enterprises managing Japan alongside many other markets. Its platform is payments infrastructure as much as HR software: 160+ countries of reach, 130+ payment currencies, and a strong data backbone for finance teams consolidating multi-country payroll in one reporting layer.

EOR starts from $499 per employee per month on Papaya's own pricing page, but it is built for Fortune-500-scale buyers, and most of its EOR footprint is partner-delivered: it owns full EOR entities in 40 countries and reaches the rest through vetted in-country accounting-firm partners. Confirm whether Japan is one of the owned 40. Japan compliance advisory is present but payroll-operations-led rather than employment-law advisory.

On cost, Papaya markets no surprise fees, yet its FX rate is the market reference plus an undisclosed FX processing fee with country-variable margins, and payment wallets must be pre-funded a few days early with a buffer. Price the full stack before comparing with the flat-fee providers, because the conversion margin is supplied via your account manager rather than published.

Countries: 160+ reach, 40 via owned EOR entities
Entity model: Hybrid; 40 owned EOR entities, the majority of the footprint partner-delivered
Onboarding: Weeks, enterprise-paced
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: From $499 / employee / month, plus pre-funded wallet and FX processing fee · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.5/5

Strengths

A strong enterprise payroll and data backbone across 160+ countries and 130+ payment currencies. Few providers consolidate multi-country payroll data at this scale.
Mature automation and reporting for finance teams running complex multi-country payroll including Japan. Month-end consolidation and reconciliation are where it wins time back.
Holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II, a deep certification stack for an enterprise Japan procurement gate.
A 4.5 G2 rating, strong for an enterprise product whose buyer is a demanding finance team.

Watch-outs

EOR starts from $499 but is built for Fortune 500, not smaller fast-growing teams. The product and engagement complexity is the price of the data depth.
Owns full EOR entities in only 40 countries, so a Japan hire may be partner-delivered. The FX rate adds an undisclosed processing fee, and wallets must be pre-funded with a buffer.
Japan compliance advisory is payroll-operations-led rather than employment-law advisory. For 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations or work permit edge cases, advisory depth is lighter than the specialist EOR providers.

Source: papayaglobal.com/pricing

G-P (Globalization Partners)

Best for: large enterprises where Japan is a tier-one strategic market and the widest owned-entity-led footprint and long compliance track record matter more than speed, price or advisory agility.

G-P runs over 100 legal entities of its own plus a 200+ partner network across 180+ countries, one of the widest footprints in the category. Japan is a long-standing market for G-P, and its enterprise compliance track record in the country is genuine. For a large enterprise running a major Japan operation where governance and audit are the primary bar, G-P clears it as completely as any provider here.

For a rapidly growing company, it is often overkill. G-P does not publish EOR pricing at all: it is quote-only, gated behind a demo, and third-party estimates that put it high in the market are not figures G-P itself stands behind. The platform and onboarding are widely reported as enterprise-paced, and the engagement model is built for large, complex organisations.

The bigger watch-out for a Japan hire is the support model. Base-tier support runs through the G-P Assist AI assistant, while a dedicated success manager and direct access to G-P HR and legal teams are reserved for the higher EOR Prime tier. A 36 Agreement filing deadline or a Rodo Kijun Ho termination is not the moment to discover that human Japan employment-law access is a paid upgrade.

Countries: 180+ via 100+ owned entities + 200+ partners
Entity model: Owned-entity-led (100+ entities) plus a 200+ partner network; Japan covered within the 180+ footprint
Onboarding: Slow, enterprise governance
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: Not published; quote-only, gated behind a demo · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.4/5 (1028)

Strengths

Over 100 legal entities of its own plus a 200+ partner network across 180+ countries. One of the widest footprints in the category and the reason it anchors enterprise shortlists.
Deep enterprise governance and a long track record with large, complex global teams. Japan is a long-standing market with compliance depth at enterprise scale.
A deep certification stack: ISO 27001, 27017, 27018, 42001 and SOC 2 Type II, published on a self-serve trust portal.
A G2 base of roughly 1,028 reviews at 4.4 gives the enterprise track record third-party weight, not just reference calls.

Watch-outs

Does not publish EOR pricing. It is quote-only and gated behind a demo, so a like-for-like Japan comparison takes a sales cycle to pin down.
Base support is the G-P Assist AI assistant. A dedicated success manager and direct HR and legal team access are gated to the higher EOR Prime tier.
Enterprise focus, enterprise-paced onboarding and a quote-led model make it a poor fit for a rapidly growing company that needs to move fast in Japan.

Source: g2.com/products/g-p/reviews

Velocity Global (now Pebl)

Best for: companies with M&A, carve-out or cross-border immigration needs that touch Japan, and who want a broad owned-entity-plus-partner footprint with an AI-first delivery model.

Velocity Global rebranded to Pebl in September 2025 and is repositioning as an AI-first platform. It brings real depth in immigration and complex engagements across 185+ countries, with 65 owned entities backing its EOR footprint. That owned-entity share matters for Japan compliance accountability on complex cases such as workforce carve-outs, relocation-driven hires or work permit transitions.

The published headline is a flat $399 USD per employee per month, marketed as all-inclusive. Third-party reviewers suggest the real all-in base lands higher once setup and FX are added, and the company does not publish an FX rate or spread anywhere on its own pages. Model the JPY conversion on your real Japan salary before you compare. Customer experience is still settling after the 2025 rebrand.

Day-to-day support is AI-first: the Alfie assistant answers and smart-routes to a human specialist when needed, backed by 200+ in-country experts. For a team hiring a handful of people in Japan without M&A or immigration complexity, a specialist advisory provider gives a more direct line to Japan employment-law depth. Pebl's value shows up when the engagement is genuinely complex.

Countries: 185+ reach, 65 via owned entities
Entity model: 65 owned entities plus an in-country partner network; ask whether Japan is owned or partner-served
Onboarding: Days to a few weeks
Contractors: Yes
Pricing: $399 USD published; reportedly higher all-in once setup and FX are added · verified 2026-06-17
G2: 4.6/5

Strengths

Real depth in immigration and complex cross-border engagements, with 65 owned entities backing its footprint. The carve-out and relocation practice is a differentiator the generalists do not match.
A simple published headline at $399 USD per employee per month, easy to compare at a glance before you model the all-in cost.
An AI-first hybrid support model (the Alfie assistant routing to human specialists) backed by 200+ in-country legal and hiring experts.
Holds ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type 2, with an in-house legal team backed by Baker McKenzie, a strong governance signal for a Japan enterprise hire.

Watch-outs

The published $399 is the headline, but the real all-in base may land higher once setup and FX are added, and no FX rate or spread is published. Pin the all-in Japan number down before you sign.
Customer experience is uneven as the company settles after its September 2025 rebrand to Pebl.
Day-to-day support is AI-first via the Alfie assistant. For a 36 Agreement or Rodo Kijun Ho edge case, confirm how fast it routes you to a human Japan employment-law expert.

Source: hellopebl.com/eor-pricing

Why the shortlist matters

Behind every line item is a real person, in a real place.

The fee, the FX and the support model are not abstractions. They decide whether the person you hired in Barcelona or Rome is paid right, on time, by someone who knows their employment law. That is what the ranking is really measuring.

What each stakeholder evaluates

Criterion	Legal	Finance	People Ops	Security
36 Agreement (san roku kyotei) exposure	Ask whether the provider has real HR and legal experts with Rodo Kijun Ho credentials who file the san roku kyotei with the Labor Standards Inspection Office, or whether those questions go to a generalist support queue.	A missing or incorrectly filed 36 Agreement makes all overtime unlawful, exposing the business to back-pay liability and regulatory action. Know who handles the filing before the first overtime request.	You want a direct line to a real Japan employment-law expert when a Labor Standards Inspection Office filing deadline is the same day as onboarding. Confirm the SLA before you commit.	An owned Japanese entity means one data-processing chain; a partner-delivered hire adds a sub-processor that needs its own data-transfer review under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI).
FX on JPY salaries	Ask for the FX policy in writing. Japan salaries in JPY billed from a non-JPY currency make the spread material, and the JPY can move sharply against USD and GBP.	On a JPY 10,000,000 annual salary at a 2% undisclosed FX spread, the invisible cost is JPY 200,000 per year per employee. At five employees in Japan that is JPY 1,000,000 per year of cost not in the headline fee.	An itemised FX line avoids salary-reconciliation surprises at Japan year-end adjustment (nenmatsu chosei).	A timestamped rate against a public reference is an auditable record consistent with Japan bookkeeping requirements.
Path to your own Kabushiki Kaisha	Ask when EOR stops being the right model. The crossover in Japan is typically around 5 to 10 full-time employees, at which point a Kabushiki Kaisha often saves more than EOR costs.	An EOR that models the crossover and helps you set up the KK keeps you from overpaying EOR fees past the breakeven month.	A managed transition via Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) avoids re-onboarding employees onto a new contract at KK setup.	Your own Kabushiki Kaisha gives you full control over data residency and employment contracts in Japan, simplifying compliance with APPI.

Decision checklist

Read the small print before you sign. Most EORs require a deposit and many layer on setup, offboarding, minimum-term, no-exit, termination or admin fees. Teamed takes a one-month refundable deposit, charges no onboarding or offboarding fees (an early-exit fee may apply if you leave within 3 months, set out in your contract), and sets the costs out up front.
Choose on Japan employment-law depth if real HR and legal experts who handle 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations and mandatory medical checkups matter more than platform breadth or price. Teamed leads this column with direct expert access on every plan.
Choose on cost transparency if a salary invoice you can read matters, especially given JPY volatility. Teamed shows the FX rate against mid-market and absorbs it at zero markup. Deel does not publish a rate; Remote discloses a blended rate; Pebl publishes no FX rate at all.
Choose on lifecycle if you plan to set up your own Kabushiki Kaisha. Teamed leads this column, with the crossover modelled proactively and Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) running your own entity across 90+ markets.
Choose Deel if platform breadth, a large native integration catalogue and the largest brand matter most for your Japan hire.
Choose Remote if you want a polished self-serve product, an owned EOR entity in Japan and a disclosed FX rate you can see on the invoice, with annual billing acceptable.
Choose Oyster if fast, automated onboarding and a dedicated Hiring Success Manager matter more than Japan employment-law advisory depth.
Choose Rippling if you want HR, IT and payroll on one platform for Japan and every other market you operate in.
Choose Papaya Global if enterprise payroll automation across Japan and many other markets is the priority and a partner-delivered Japan hire is acceptable.
Choose G-P if you are a large enterprise where the widest owned-entity-led footprint and long Japan compliance track record matter more than speed, price or advisory agility.
Choose Velocity Global (Pebl) if you have M&A, carve-out or immigration complexity in Japan and want a broad owned-entity-plus-partner footprint with an AI-first delivery model.
Ask every provider one question before you sign: do real HR and legal experts handle a 36 Agreement filing or a Rodo Kijun Ho termination, or does it go to a generalist ticket queue?

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When another provider here is the better choice.

Choose Deel if platform breadth, the deepest integrations and the largest brand outweigh seeing the FX on your Japan salary invoice.
Choose Remote if a polished self-serve product, an owned EOR entity in Japan and a disclosed FX rate matter most, and annual billing is acceptable.
Choose Rippling if you want your whole HR, IT and payroll stack on one platform across Japan and every other market.
Choose G-P or Papaya Global if you are an enterprise where owned-entity-led breadth or payroll-at-scale matters more than speed or advisory agility.
Choose Oyster or Velocity Global if fast onboarding or M&A and immigration depth in Japan is the deciding factor and you have confirmed the pricing and FX terms.

Teamed leads Japan employment-law depth, cost transparency and the lifecycle to your own Kabushiki Kaisha, not every column. A buyer with different priorities should pick differently. We'd rather lose the deal than mismatch the engagement.

Frequently asked questions

Which EOR is best for hiring in Japan in 2026?
It depends on your priority. Teamed leads on Japan employment-law depth, with real HR and legal experts handling 36 Agreement filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations and mandatory medical checkups directly on every plan. It also leads on cost transparency, with FX absorbed at zero markup and shown against mid-market on JPY conversions. Remote leads on self-serve product polish with an owned EOR entity in Japan. Oyster leads on onboarding speed. Deel and Rippling lead on platform breadth. G-P leads on owned-entity-led governance for large enterprises. The most useful question: can you reach a real HR or legal expert with Japan employment-law depth when you need one, and can you see the FX on your JPY salary invoice?
Does my EOR need to own a Japanese entity, or is a partner acceptable?
Both models work compliantly, but they carry different accountability structures. An owned Japanese entity means one employer in the chain for the contract, payroll, shakai hoken contributions and 36 Agreement obligations. A partner adds a sub-processor: an additional link for data residency under Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), contractual accountability and compliance outcomes. The key question is whether the EOR takes full accountability for compliance outcomes or passes the risk through to you. Ask each provider directly whether Japan is owned or partner-served, and ask where accountability sits if a 36 Agreement filing or a Rodo Kijun Ho termination goes wrong.
How does the 36 Agreement (san roku kyotei) affect my EOR arrangement in Japan?
Under Article 36 of the Rodo Kijun Ho (Labor Standards Act), an employer cannot legally require overtime or work on statutory days off without first filing a san roku kyotei (36 Agreement) with the local Labor Standards Inspection Office. The agreement must state the reasons for overtime, the relevant occupations and the maximum hours. For an EOR arrangement, the 36 Agreement is filed by the EOR employer (not your company). Your EOR provider needs real HR and legal experts with Japanese employment-law credentials to handle this correctly. Ask whether those experts are in-house and accessible directly, or whether the question goes to a generalist queue.
What are the Japan employer social insurance contributions an EOR will pass through?
Japan employer-side shakai hoken contributions cover four components: Kosei Nenkin (employee pension, employer share ~9.15%), Kenko Hoken (health insurance, employer share ~5% in most prefectures via the Japan Health Insurance Association, though rates vary by prefecture and health insurance union), Koyo Hoken (employment insurance, employer share ~0.95%) and Rousai Hoken (workers' accident insurance, 100% employer-side at ~0.25% in general industries). Combined employer-side contributions run roughly 14 to 16% of gross salary in most industries. All EOR providers pass these through at cost. They are statutory costs that land on every Japan hire regardless of which EOR you use. Compare providers on the platform fee and FX transparency, not on statutory contributions.
When does it make sense to set up my own Kabushiki Kaisha instead of using an EOR in Japan?
The crossover point is usually around 5 to 10 full-time employees in Japan, where the fixed cost of running a Kabushiki Kaisha (registered address, representative director if needed, annual filings, bookkeeping) becomes lower than the cumulative EOR per-seat fee. The calculation depends on your salary levels, your EOR fee and whether you need a local trading presence or bank account. Teamed models this crossover explicitly and flags the month your own KK beats EOR, which is something no other provider here does proactively as a standard service. Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and runs your own legal entity in Japan alongside 90+ other markets on the same system, with no re-onboarding of existing EOR employees.
How current is this comparison, and how was it scored?
Competitor facts come from Teamed's global provider fact-cache, last verified 17 June 2026 against each provider's own pricing page and G2 listing. Japan statutory facts reference e-gov.go.jp, nenkin.go.jp and official MHLW sources. Each of the eight providers is scored 1 to 5 on five Japan-focused criteria with no weighted total and no overall winner. We review the page quarterly and re-verify pricing monthly.

Common questions

Which EOR provider handles Japan's 36 Agreement and Labor Standards Act requirements best?
Teamed leads on Japan's 36 Agreement and Labor Standards Act requirements: real HR and legal experts for san roku kyotei filings, Rodo Kijun Ho terminations and mandatory medical checkups, standard on every plan. Remote markets a 100%-owned EOR entity network. G-P and Velocity Global (Pebl) run owned-entity-led footprints with enterprise governance. Oyster, Papaya, Rippling and Deel are lighter on Japan employment-law advisory depth.
What is the real cost of hiring in Japan through an EOR?
Three layers. First, the headline EOR fee: published rates run roughly $399 to $699 per employee per month, with G-P quote-only. Second, Japan employer shakai hoken, roughly 14 to 16% of gross, passed at cost by all. Third, FX on the JPY conversion for providers that do not disclose their rate, an estimated 1.5 to 3% of salary. On a JPY 10,000,000 annual salary that is JPY 200,000 per year at 2%. Teamed absorbs FX at zero markup and shows the rate against mid-market.

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