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Letter of Reason for Employment (雇用理由書)

Employer-signed letter to the Director of the Regional Immigration Services Bureau (地方出入国在留管理局長) explaining why your company is hiring this specific foreign national. Used in Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) and visa-renewal packages.

Emmanuel Gendre, Founder of SaiyouTeam
By Emmanuel Gendre
Founder, SaiyouTeam · 12 years recruiting in Japan

Last reviewed: · Aligned with the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法) Article 7-1-2

Letter of Reason for Employment generator

2026年6月1日

東京出入国在留管理局長　殿

雇 用 理 由 書

外国人John Smithの雇用に関し、下記のとおり申し上げます。

  1. 1. 被雇用者の基本情報 氏名：John Smith（ジョン・スミス）
    国籍：アメリカ合衆国
    生年月日：1994年3月15日
    旅券番号：A12345678
    申請する在留資格：技術・人文知識・国際業務
  2. 2. 雇用条件 雇用形態：正社員
    職位：システムエンジニア
    所属部署：技術開発部
    入社予定日：2026年7月1日
    給与月額：350,000円
    業務内容：自社製品の設計・開発、海外クライアントとの技術仕様調整、英文ドキュメントの作成および翻訳業務に従事する。
  3. 3. 雇用の理由 下記のとおり、当社が本人を雇用する理由を3点に整理してご説明申し上げます。

    （1）業務上の必要性

    当社は近年、海外クライアントとの取引比率が急速に拡大しており、英語による技術仕様の擦り合わせおよび英文ドキュメントの作成・翻訳が可能な人材の確保が急務となっている。社内の既存スタッフでは対応量に限界があり、グローバル対応可能な技術人材の採用は事業継続上不可欠である。

    （2）本人の適格性

    本人は米国の大学において計算機科学（Computer Science）の学士号を取得しており、卒業後はソフトウェア開発業務に4年間従事してきた。母語である英語に加え、ビジネスレベルの日本語運用能力（日本語能力試験N2）を有しており、本職務に必要な専門知識・語学力・実務経験のすべてを満たしている。

    （3）雇用条件の合理性（入管法第7条第1項第2号）

    本人に提示する給与・労働条件は、同等の業務に従事する日本人社員の処遇と同水準であり、入管法第7条第1項第2号に定める「日本人が従事する場合に受ける報酬と同等以上の報酬」の要件を満たしている。また、就業規則・賃金規程に基づき、社会保険・労働保険を含む雇用条件は日本人社員と同様に適用される。

  4. 4. 確約 当社は、本人を雇用するにあたり、労働基準法、入管法その他関係法令を遵守し、適正に雇用管理を行うことを確約いたします。また、雇用契約の変更、終了その他在留資格に影響を及ぼす事由が生じた場合は、関係法令に基づき遅滞なく届出を行います。

以上、ご審査のほどよろしくお願い申し上げます。

【雇用主】

所在地：〒100-0005 東京都千代田区丸の内1-1-1

会社名：株式会社サンプル

代表者：代表取締役 山田 花子　　印

電話番号：03-1234-5678

資本金：10,000,000円　　従業員数：35名

設立年月日：2015年4月1日　　事業内容：ITコンサルティング

Ready to file? Download a PDF of the letter you see above. Your email is used only to receive the file. The monthly salary (給与月額) must be filled in for the PDF to generate, since the Article 7-1-2 compliance argument relies on it.

Official sources

This template is built on the following primary Japanese government sources. Open each link to verify the underlying rule against the issuing authority.

Reference

What the Letter of Reason for Employment (雇用理由書) is

A Letter of Reason for Employment (雇用理由書) is an employer-signed letter addressed to the Director of the Regional Immigration Services Bureau (地方出入国在留管理局長), explaining why the hiring company has decided to employ a specific foreign national. It is one of the most commonly included supporting documents in a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) application or a visa-renewal package, especially for the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務) residence status. The letter typically explains the business necessity of the role, the candidate's qualifications relative to that role, and the reasonableness of the offered employment conditions, particularly compliance with Article 7-1-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法).

When to use

When to use this document

  • Filing a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書, CoE) for a foreign hire entering Japan for the first time
  • Renewing or extending a working residence status (在留期間更新) for an existing foreign hire
  • Changing a foreign hire's residence status (在留資格変更), for example from Student to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services
  • Responding to an additional-documents request (資料提出通知) from the Immigration Services Agency
  • Whenever a reviewer might reasonably ask "why this company, why this person, and why these conditions"

Mandatory items

What to include

  • Date of issue and the addressee (typically the Director of the relevant Regional Immigration Services Bureau)
  • Title (雇用理由書) and a one-line opening statement of purpose
  • Basic information about the candidate: full name, nationality, date of birth, passport number, intended residence status
  • Terms of employment: employment type, job title, department, start date, monthly salary, summary of work content
  • Reason 1 (necessity): why the role exists at the company and why a foreign hire is required
  • Reason 2 (qualifications): how the candidate's degree, language ability, and experience match the role
  • Reason 3 (conditions): explicit statement that the offered remuneration is at least equivalent to what a Japanese national would receive for equivalent work, satisfying Article 7-1-2
  • Closing undertaking that the company will comply with all relevant laws and report status-affecting changes
  • Employer information block: registered name, address, representative + seal, phone, capital, employee count, industry, date established

Legal basis

The Letter of Reason for Employment is not a creature of any single statute; it is part of the long-standing supporting-document tradition that the Immigration Services Agency relies on to assess Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) and renewal applications. Its substantive content, however, tracks directly to Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (入管法第7条第1項第2号), which requires that the activities the foreign national intends to engage in fall within an authorized residence category and that the offered remuneration be no less than that received by Japanese nationals performing equivalent work. The supporting "Ministerial Standards" (基準省令) under Article 7-1-2 break this down further for each working residence status (for example, the requirement that the candidate's degree or experience be relevant to the role under Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services). A well-drafted reason letter walks the reviewer through each of these tests and demonstrates that the role, the candidate, and the conditions all line up.

Frequently asked

Common questions about the Letter of Reason for Employment

Is the Letter of Reason for Employment (雇用理由書) legally required?

It is not listed as a strictly mandatory document in the Immigration Bureau's standard checklists, but in practice the Immigration Services Agency expects one for almost every Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) filing tied to a working visa, especially in the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務) category. Most administrative scriveners (行政書士) include it by default, and reviewers will often request one if the application package does not contain it.

Who signs the Letter of Reason for Employment?

The employer signs. Specifically, the representative director (代表取締役) or another authorized signatory of the hiring company. The company seal (会社実印 or 角印) is affixed next to the representative's name. This is an employer-side document; the foreign national does not sign it.

Does the Letter of Reason for Employment need to be in Japanese?

Yes. The legally controlling version submitted to the Regional Immigration Services Bureau is in Japanese. An English version is sometimes prepared for internal use or for the foreign hire's reference, but the file submitted to immigration must be in Japanese. The generator produces a Japanese version by default and an English translation for understanding only.

How long should the Letter of Reason for Employment be?

One page is the typical length, occasionally extending to one and a half pages. The reasoning sections (necessity, qualifications, conditions of employment) usually run two to four sentences each. Excessively long letters tend to dilute the argument; immigration officers are reading dozens of applications and value clarity over volume.

What happens if our reasons for hire are weak?

The most common rejection pattern under the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services category is a finding that the role does not actually require the candidate's specific degree or expertise, or that the duties described could be performed by a Japanese national without specialist training. A weak Letter of Reason for Employment increases the risk of an additional-documents request (資料提出通知) or a denial. Strengthen it by tying the role tightly to the candidate's degree, language skills, or industry experience, and by explaining why those attributes are necessary for the position.

About the author

Emmanuel Gendre, Founder of SaiyouTeam
Emmanuel Gendre
Founder, SaiyouTeam · TechieCV K.K.

Emmanuel advises small and mid-sized companies (SMBs) on HR and recruiting in Japan. He brings 12 years recruiting in Japan as a Recruitment Consultant placing IT professionals, plus prior experience hiring engineers across EMEA as a Google recruiter. Foreign-hire Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) filings and visa-renewal paperwork are something he handles regularly with his SMB clients in Japan, so he built this template as part of that advisory work and uses it himself when those conversations come up.

For case-specific immigration matters, Emmanuel works with licensed Japanese professionals (行政書士 administrative scriveners and 弁護士 immigration lawyers). This template is a planning tool used in those conversations, not a substitute for professional advice on an individual case.

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Important. This template is provided for general planning purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Japanese immigration practice is detailed and case-specific. Before filing this document in any non-routine situation, consult a licensed administrative scrivener (行政書士) or an immigration lawyer (弁護士).