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Jobs in Japan

Free Public Job Support for International Students in Japan: Employment Service Centers for Foreigners and Hello Work (2026)

Yes, Japan has free, government-run job support for international students. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) operates Employment Service Centers for Foreigners in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka, and some new-graduate support Hello Work offices have a corner just for international students. Between them they offer career guidance from early in your studies, individual job counseling and referrals, help with entry sheets and interviews, job fairs and internships.

What the centers are

MHLW describes the Employment Service Centers for Foreigners as providing job support for highly skilled foreign workers, a group it defines as including international students who want to work in Japan and foreign nationals in professional and technical fields. Their two main roles are job counseling and referrals for these job seekers, and guidance for employers that hire foreign nationals.

For international students, MHLW highlights three services:

  • Career guidance, including sessions you can attend from an early stage after you enroll.
  • Internship programs. MHLW says these are run through the centers in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka and the Fukuoka student job center, to help companies and international students understand each other.
  • Job interview fairs.

For details of guidance sessions, internships and fairs, MHLW asks you to contact each center directly.

The four centers

According to MHLW's list:

  • Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners: Yotsuya Tower 13F, 1-6-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku. Tel. 03-5361-8722. The center lists its hours as 9:00 to 17:00, closed on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and over the New Year period, and it is about a one-minute walk from Yotsuya Station on the JR and Marunouchi lines.
  • Nagoya Employment Service Center for Foreigners: Naka-ku, Nagoya. Tel. 052-855-3770.
  • Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners: Hankyu Grand Building 16F, Kita-ku, Osaka. Tel. 06-7709-9465.
  • Fukuoka Employment Service Center for Foreigners: Elgala 12F, Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka. Tel. 092-716-8608.

Student corners at Hello Work

MHLW also notes that some new-graduate support Hello Work offices have an international student corner with their own support menus. Kanagawa Labour Bureau's page gives a good picture of what one offers, free of charge:

  • Job counseling: one-to-one advice on any worry, from not knowing how Japanese job hunting works to its unwritten rules.
  • Help with entry sheets and resumes: advice on how to write them and what to include.
  • Interview practice: manners and how to answer questions.
  • Job postings and events: Hello Work job listings, interview fairs and company briefings.

In Kanagawa, the corners are inside Yokohama New Graduate Support Hello Work (near Yokohama Station's west exit) and Kawasaki New Graduate Support Hello Work. On your first visit, bring your residence card and student ID; if you have already graduated, bring your passport with your designation document. Opening hours differ by office, so check before you go. If you study outside the four big cities, a student corner is often the nearest option.

Tokyo has two centers: which one is for you?

The Tokyo center explains that it supports international students and foreign job seekers holding professional or technical statuses of residence. A separate office, the Shinjuku Employment Support and Guidance Center for Foreigners (inside Hello Work Shinjuku's Kabukicho building), is for people whose status has no work restrictions, such as spouses of Japanese nationals, long-term residents and permanent residents, and for international students looking for part-time work. In short: career jobs go to the Yotsuya center, and part-time job searches go to Shinjuku.

How to start

  • Register as a job seeker. The Tokyo center points students who want to work in Japan after graduation to the registration guide on Hello Work Internet Service.
  • Read the Q&A. The Tokyo center publishes a job hunting Q&A covering the general flow, interviews and how to fill in a resume.
  • Ask about events early. Guidance sessions and internships are aimed at students well before the main hiring season.
  • Combine with your school. Use these services alongside your own career center rather than instead of it.

A note on paid internships

If an internship is paid and goes over 28 hours a week, it involves immigration permission. MHLW links to the Immigration Services Agency's page on this for students, so check it before you accept such an offer.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting until after graduation. MHLW stresses guidance from an early stage of your studies.
  • Going to the wrong office. Use a center or student corner for career jobs; in Tokyo, part-time searches belong at the Shinjuku office.
  • Turning up without documents. Bring your residence card and student ID, or your passport if you have graduated.

If you are moving to Tokyo for job hunting or an internship, staying in a furnished monthly rental near a station such as Yotsuya or Shinjuku can make these offices easy to reach while you search.

Sources

This article was created by OHAYO Stay based on the sources above (edited, reorganized and translated). It is not an official publication.

Rules and dates can change. Always confirm with the official source before you apply.