Find the legit way
to Japan.
For Filipinos who want to work or study in Japan. Check if an agency is licensed, learn what it really costs, and prepare for the JFT, without paying a fixer.
Selected Media Coverage
Hanapon's founder: featured in Japanese magazines and invited for interviews by Fuji TV.
Why now
Japan plans to accept up to 820,000 skilled workers by 2028
Japan's working-age population is shrinking, and the government has opened the door wider than at any point in its history. The people who prepare early, with the right test and a licensed agency, are the ones who get through it.
2.3M
Foreign workers in Japan, a record high and more than double ten years earlier. Nearly every sector that hires them is short of people.
Approximate. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Employment of foreign nationals" (October 2024)
820K
The ceiling Japan set for Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) acceptance across the five years to FY2028, roughly four times the number already in the country.
Cabinet decision, March 2024. Actual figures: Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
320K
Filipinos already living in Japan, one of the largest foreign communities there. Filipinos are among the top nationalities accepted under SSW, particularly in care work, food service and manufacturing.
Approximate. Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, statistics on foreign residents.
Numbers are rounded and were correct when this page was written. A plan is not a promise: acceptance depends on the employer, Immigration, and the Embassy. Always confirm on the official sites.
Four rules that protect you
License
For SSW and TITP, you must go through a DMW-licensed agency. There is no direct-hire shortcut from the Philippines.
Placement fee
For Japan-bound workers, the placement fee is not charged to you. An agency that asks for one is breaking the rules.
OEC
You cannot leave the country for work without an Overseas Employment Certificate. Anyone who says you can skip it is lying.
Tests
Apply for JFT-Basic and skills tests yourself. Passing a test never guarantees a visa, and no fixer can change that.
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, DMW rules for Japan-bound workers, and the 2025 test policy of the Ministry of Justice. Details on each page.
What you can do here
Everything is free and works on your phone. Add Hanapon to your home screen to keep it handy.
Check an Agency
Is the agency DMW-licensed? Is the license still valid? Search before you pay a single peso.
Search agencies โWays to Japan
SSW (Specified Skilled Worker), TITP, the new Ikusei Shuro program, and student visas, compared side by side.
Compare the routes โTests
JFT-Basic, JLPT N4, and the skills test for your job. What they cover, where to take them in the Philippines, and how to apply directly.
See the tests โMoney
What it really costs to go, what you can expect to earn, and which remittance service sends the most pesos home.
Compare rates โScam Alerts
The exact lines illegal recruiters use, in English and Tagalog, and what to do if you already paid.
Know the red flags โFind Help in Japan
Already in Japan? Visa change, permanent residence, pension refund, tax. Licensed professionals who answer in English, and a free first question to Hanapon.
Ask for help โMap
Licensed agencies in the Philippines and Tagalog-speaking support organizations in Japan, on one map.
Open the map โAlready in Japan?
The money you leave behind is usually yours.
Pension lump-sum refund, the 20.42% tax withheld on it, residence tax after you leave, visa changes, permanent residence. These are handled by licensed professionals in Japan, and most work only in Japanese. We list the ones who answer in English and explain each step first.
Latest guides
How to Change Jobs in Japan (2026): Steps, Deadlines and Fees
Changing employers in Japan? Report to immigration within 14 days, check 2026 change-of-status fees (from JPY 10,000), and get your tax slip and pension in order.
Study in JapanEJU Passing Score (2026): No Pass Mark, Only University Minimums
The EJU has no passing score. Each university sets its own minimum and subjects. See score ranges, June 2026 averages, and how to take the EJU in Manila.
Work Visas & SSWSSW Meaning in Japan (2026): Specified Skilled Worker Explained
SSW in Japan means Specified Skilled Worker (Tokutei Ginou), a status of residence for work in 19 fields. See SSW (i) vs (ii), the fields and key terms.
Why Hanapon exists
Every year, thousands of Filipinos pay fees to people who are not licensed to send anyone anywhere. The rules for working in Japan are public, but they are scattered across Japanese and Philippine government websites and rarely explained in plain English or Tagalog.
Hanapon collects those rules in one place, checks them against the official sources, and keeps them updated. We earn from partners like remittance and language-learning services and from professionals who advertise on our Find Help page, never from agencies or job placements.
How we work and how we earn โ