We support hiring for the positions that will shape the future of your business, such as executives and business leaders. We approach proven people in their current roles directly, and the same consultant works with you from defining requirements until the new hire is settled in.
You are welcome to talk to us before your hiring requirements are finalized.
We support hiring when you enter the Japanese market or launch and expand a Japanese entity. No recruiter in Japan, a headquarters team that cannot communicate with candidates in Japanese, no clear view of compensation levels in Japan: even in these situations, we handle everything from clarifying requirements to negotiating terms on the ground in Japan.
We support executive hiring for organizational growth after fundraising, leaders for new businesses, and appointments tied to business succession or reorganization. Losing out to larger companies on name recognition, no internal experience in executive hiring, a small hiring team stretched too thin: we work through these challenges with you, from defining requirements to finding candidates.
Many people working as executives and business leaders are not registered on job sites. Posting a job and waiting for applications will rarely reach them. We contact people excelling in their current roles directly, convey the appeal of your business and the position, and then introduce them to you. For positions you do not want known outside your company, we can proceed after agreeing on the scope of disclosure in advance.
Search for executives and business leaders
For executives such as division heads, business leaders and country managers, as well as highly specialized professionals. We focus on positions with expected annual compensation of roughly JPY 15–30 million. For each position, we research the market, then approach proven people in their current roles directly and introduce them to you.
Introductions from our network
For managers and specialists in positions that drive business growth. From our network of more than 12,000 professionals, we introduce people who meet your requirements, considering not only their experience but also their fit with your vision, organizational stage and future direction.
Hiring operations handled for you
For companies without a dedicated recruiter, or with a small team covering a wide range of tasks, we handle part or all of the hiring process, including market research, building target lists and initial outreach to candidates. We design the scope of support around your internal structure.
We introduce international professionals living in Japan for executive and senior-level roles. Focusing on people with business experience in Japanese, we support hiring of talent who can contribute from day one, from executives and managers to specialists.
Beyond our network of more than 12,000 professionals, we contact people directly in their current roles, including those who are not registered on any job site. We often introduce key people who are currently excelling at competitors.
We typically present initial candidates within 1–5 business days after your requirements are finalized. For urgent assignments, we have presented candidates as early as the next business day.
Fees are incurred only when a candidate accepts an offer. If no hire is made, there is no charge. If the person hired leaves within the refund period, we issue a refund under the refund terms agreed in advance.
Successor appointments, roles tied to reorganization, leaders for unannounced new businesses: for hires you need to keep out of view inside and outside your company, we agree with you on the scope and timing of disclosure before we begin.
We are not limited to specific industries. From early-stage startups to listed companies, we tailor our support to your stage of business.
International companies hiring in Japan face differences in business practices, compensation levels and decision-making. Japanese companies bringing in executives from large corporations face the challenge of designing compensation, including stock options, and ensuring cultural fit. We support you with both perspectives in mind, including hires that involve moves between international and Japanese companies in either direction.
The same consultant works with you from the first meeting through offer negotiation and the new hire’s first months. Nothing is lost in handovers, and you can talk to us before your requirements are finalized.
Different hiring methods give you access to different people and incur costs in different ways. Here is how the main hiring methods compare with our service.
| Hiring method | Who you can reach | When fees are incurred | Confidentiality | Internal workload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Recruiting Partners | Direct approach to people in their current roles, including those not considering a move | Only when a candidate accepts an offer (no upfront fees) | High (the scope of disclosure is agreed in advance) | Low (we handle everything from defining requirements to onboarding) |
| Job boards | Active job seekers who apply after seeing your posting | When the posting goes live (regardless of the hiring outcome) | Low (requires a public posting) | High (you handle applicants and selection yourself) |
| Direct hiring by your company (direct sourcing, employee referrals, etc.) | People who reply to your outreach, and your own network | Sourcing platform fees and recruiter staff costs (regardless of the hiring outcome) | Somewhat low (you must reveal your company name and position when reaching out) | High (you handle everything from finding candidates to selection) |
| General recruitment agencies | Mainly people registered with job search services | When a hire is made | Varies by agency | Moderate (you assess the candidates introduced) |
| Retained search firms | Also approach people in their current roles directly | At the start of the search (a retainer is charged regardless of the outcome) | High (the search is conducted confidentially) | Low (the search firm handles most of the search) |
* This table summarizes general characteristics. Actual terms vary by service.
* Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is quoted individually based on the scope of support.
Fees are incurred only when a candidate accepts an offer. There are no costs before that point, and no fees if no hire is made.
Calculated at a fixed rate of the candidate’s expected first-year annual compensation (fixed annual pay). The rate is agreed with you in advance based on the difficulty of the position and the scale of hiring.
If the person hired leaves within the refund period, we issue a refund based on the conditions and amounts agreed in advance.
Because there are no upfront fees, our services are available even at early growth stages, when securing a hiring budget can be difficult. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is quoted individually based on workload and scope of support.
Strategy & requirements
Whether a hire succeeds is largely decided by how the requirements are defined at the start. We work directly with your leadership on your business plan, organizational structure, reporting lines, compensation range and expected role, and put into words who will thrive at your company. You can talk to us before your requirements are finalized.
Market research & target list
We research how many people in the market meet your requirements and what compensation levels look like. We build a target list that includes people excelling at competitors, and set the direction of the search. If your requirements and the market do not align, we tell you candidly at this stage and propose adjustments.
Direct outreach & selection support
We reach out directly, including to people who are not considering a move. Beyond the terms, we convey your business’s future, the authority the role carries and your leadership’s thinking, so candidates see the opportunity as worth considering. We typically present initial candidates within 1–5 business days after requirements are finalized, and we handle interview scheduling and feedback to both sides.
Offer negotiation & post-hire follow-up
We align terms such as compensation and start date while confirming what both the company and the candidate want. We support the process through to offer acceptance, including counteroffers from the candidate’s current employer. After the hire joins, we check how they are settling in and stay involved until they are established.
Because we handle highly confidential hiring, we do not disclose company or industry names.
CASE 01
CASE 02
CASE 03
01An urgent, critical position filled within three weeks
Our business plan required us to fill a position within a short timeframe. They started by helping us clarify the requirements and proposed the first candidate the very next business day. Selection went smoothly, and the hire was made within three weeks. We were satisfied not only with the speed but with how well the candidates matched.
02We met people we could never reach through regular hiring
We were looking for people who could directly drive our growth, but our usual hiring efforts gave us no way to reach them. They identified the right people in the market and approached those excelling in their current roles directly. Being able to talk with people who are not job hunting is, for us, the real value of headhunting.
03They understood what candidates really thought
Their support did not end with introductions. They handled feedback during selection, confirmed candidates’ intentions, adjusted terms after the offer and followed up until the start date. Because they understood candidates’ real views, which are hard for a company to ask about, and acted as a go-between, the process was much easier for us.
04We could talk to them before our requirements were set
At first, neither the profile we wanted nor the hiring conditions were clear. They asked about our business stage, organizational structure and future plans, and helped us work out together whom we should hire. Rather than handing over a job description and waiting, we felt we could consult them about hiring itself.
05Six months without progress, then a hire in two months
We had worked with another firm on this position for about six months without a hire. They helped us reorganize the requirements and told us frankly about the gap between the candidates in the market and the conditions we wanted. The hire was made about two months after the search began, and we saw firsthand how different their approach was.
Fees are calculated at a fixed rate of the candidate’s expected first-year annual compensation (fixed annual pay). The rate is agreed with you in advance based on the difficulty of the position and the scale of hiring. RPO is quoted individually based on workload and scope of support.
Executive search and recruitment are success-based. There are no upfront fees, and fees are incurred only when a candidate accepts an offer. If no hire is made, there is no charge. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is quoted individually based on the scope of support.
Because we handle highly confidential hiring, we confirm with you in advance the scope and timing of any disclosure of your company name and position details. We do not assume public disclosure, and we conduct the search only within the agreed scope.
Yes. We work in both Japanese and English. We can also hold online meetings with overseas headquarters and schedule around time differences.
Yes. Consultations are free. Before a formal engagement, we also provide complimentary market research summarizing the market for the target position, candidate availability and compensation levels.
If the person hired leaves within the refund period, we issue a refund based on the conditions and amounts agreed in advance. We explain the refund period and applicable conditions individually before you sign a contract.
