The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
12 IT companies in Japan that confirm visa sponsorship on their own careers pages, from Rakuten and Mercari to AI labs and IT services firms, checked Oct 2026.
These 12 IT companies in Japan say on their own careers pages or job ads that they sponsor or support work visas. They are Rakuten, LY Corporation, Mercari, PayPay, Money Forward, HENNGE, Appier, Anthropic, Sakana AI, TechnoPro IT, Human Resocia and, for interns, Woven by Toyota. We tested every statement ourselves on 21 October 2026, and each name below links to it. Japan's foreign IT workforce reached 97,924 in October 2025, up 39% in four years (MHLW, 2026).
Key Takeaways
- Every company on this list confirms visa sponsorship or visa support on its own site. A third-party job board saying so wasn't enough.
- Big platforms (Rakuten, LY, Mercari, PayPay) also cover flights, temporary housing or moving costs.
- For IT support and infrastructure work, look at IT services firms such as TechnoPro IT and Human Resocia. They hire from overseas and place you on client projects.
- Foreign IT workers in Japan grew 8.1% in the year to October 2025. Nearly half are Chinese.
- A software developer in Japan earned ¥5.78 million a year on average in 2025, and a systems consultant ¥8.89 million.
Looking for roles now? Browse engineering jobs in Japan.
The table lists each company and what its own page says. "Visa support" usually means the company handles your Certificate of Eligibility and helps with the visa application.
| Company | What it does | What its own page offers |
|---|---|---|
| Rakuten | E-commerce, fintech, mobile | Relocation support, including visa support and moving |
| LY Corporation | LINE and Yahoo! JAPAN | Visa application support, moving costs and airfare |
| Mercari | Marketplace app | Visa sponsorship, flight, shipping, first-month housing |
| PayPay | Mobile payments | Visa sponsorship, flight, 1.5 months' temporary housing |
| Money Forward | Finance software | Visa application help and temporary furnished housing |
| HENNGE | Cloud security software | Visa sponsorship, flights and Japanese lessons |
| Appier | AI marketing software | Visa sponsorship for international candidates in Tokyo |
| Anthropic | AI research and products | Sponsors visas, though not for every role or candidate |
| Sakana AI | AI research lab | Visa application help for Tokyo-based roles |
| TechnoPro IT | IT engineering services | Visa support to arrival, travel costs for eligible hires, Japanese training |
| Human Resocia | IT engineer staffing | Visa and residence application, flight, housing arrangements |
| Woven by Toyota | Toyota's software arm | Visa support, flights and housing for overseas interns |
Checked on each company's own careers page or job ad on 21 October 2026. Policies change, so confirm with the company before you apply.
Rakuten lists "relocation support (visa support, moving)" among its employee benefits. LY Corporation, which runs LINE and Yahoo! JAPAN, provides support for the visa application. It says conversational Japanese helps but isn't a strict requirement. Mercari offers visa sponsorship, a one-way flight, shipping and a first month of temporary housing. It also tries to support visas for same-sex and de facto partners.
PayPay offers visa sponsorship, 1.5 months in a temporary apartment, a one-way flight and a relocation allowance. Money Forward works with a travel and visa agency to help with visa applications and temporary furnished apartments.
Anthropic says in its Tokyo job ads that it sponsors visas, but can't do so for every role and every candidate. Sakana AI, a Tokyo research lab, helps with the visa application for people based in Tokyo. Appier, an AI marketing software company, says its Japan office provides visa sponsorship for international candidates. HENNGE, a cloud security company, covers flights, visa sponsorship and Japanese lessons for new hires moving to Tokyo.
TechnoPro IT supports you from getting the visa through to entering Japan. It covers travel from your home country for eligible candidates and gives first-timers a month of Japanese training. Human Resocia hires IT engineers from overseas as full-time staff. It handles the residence application, visa and flight, then arranges housing.
Woven by Toyota gives overseas students in its paid engineering internship round-trip flights, visa support and three months of housing in Tokyo. It's a good way into Japan if you're still studying.
Yes, but the job has to fit the visa. Most IT roles use the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. That visa is for work that uses specialist knowledge, so Immigration looks at what you'll actually do (ISA). Network design, server administration and cloud operations fit easily. A role that is mostly simple, repetitive tasks may not.
IT services firms are the most common route into support and infrastructure work. TechnoPro IT trains new hires in networks, Linux servers and cloud. Human Resocia's engineers work on client projects in software development, AI and data, networks and embedded systems. You're employed by the services firm and placed at a client, so ask which project you'd join and how long it lasts.
We analyzed MHLW's October 2025 tables on foreign workers by industry and nationality. Japan had 97,924 foreign workers in information and communications that month. That's up from 70,608 in 2021 and 8.1% higher than a year earlier (MHLW, 2026).
Chinese workers make up 48% of the total, and South Koreans 11%. MHLW's "G7 and similar" group, which covers the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and five other countries, adds 7,726. India is fifth with 5,680. Yet IT matters more to Indians than to anyone else: 18% of Indian workers in Japan work in it. Our guide to jobs in Japan for Indians has the full picture.
The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is the standard work visa for software engineers. It needs a degree related to the job or, in most cases, 10 years of relevant experience. Our guide to that visa covers the rules.
The Highly Skilled Professional visa is a points-based alternative for experienced engineers. Points come from your degree, experience, salary, age and Japanese, and it can lead to permanent residence in one to three years.
Either way, the employer applies for your Certificate of Eligibility first. Over the year to July 2026 it took about two months on average. Our COE processing time guide has the monthly figures.
Across all workers in Japan, a software developer earned ¥5.78 million a year on average in 2025. A systems consultant or designer earned ¥8.89 million (MHLW, 2026). Both figures include bonuses. Larger companies paid more for both jobs.
Your visa also protects your pay. Immigration requires pay at least equal to what a Japanese employee would get for the same job (ISA). Global tech companies and AI labs often pay well above these averages, so compare full offers, including bonus and allowances.
The 12 companies above are a start, not the full list. To check any other employer:
For employers outside IT, our wider list of Japan work visa sponsorship companies covers English teaching and other sectors.
Companies that confirm it on their own careers pages include Rakuten, LY Corporation, Mercari, PayPay, Money Forward, HENNGE, Appier, Anthropic, Sakana AI, TechnoPro IT and Human Resocia. Woven by Toyota offers visa support for overseas interns.
Not always. Many global tech companies and AI labs work in English, and LY Corporation says conversational Japanese helps but isn't strictly required. Japanese still widens your choice of employers.
Yes, if the role uses specialist IT knowledge such as networks, servers or cloud. IT services firms like TechnoPro IT and Human Resocia hire for this kind of work from overseas.
The employer's Certificate of Eligibility took about two months on average over the year to July 2026. After that, the visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate usually takes about a week.
Some do. HENNGE, Sakana AI and Appier all state it in their own ads. Smaller companies sponsor less consistently, so ask early and get the commitment in writing.
A software developer earned ¥5.78 million a year on average in 2025, including bonuses. Systems consultants averaged ¥8.89 million, and larger companies pay more.
Shortlist the companies that fit your skills, read their current job ads, and ask about sponsorship in your first conversation. If you'd rather be found than keep applying, Atarashift lets verified employers in Japan come to you. Upload your profile once and get scouted by companies already hiring internationally.
Tokyo pays about 20% more and has 2.8 times the work-visa holders. Osaka's rent is a third lower. Government data on jobs, pay and costs.
Can Indians get jobs in Japan with visa sponsorship? Official data on the visas Indians hold, the industries hiring them, pay, and how to apply from India.
Your Japanese job offer comes with a written notice of working conditions. How to read it: contract type, probation, scope of change, fixed overtime, red flags.
