Work from Anywhere in Japan: 32 Companies with Country-wide Remote Work [2022]

It looks like remote work is here to stay.

Before the pandemic, most companies would’ve never considered it.  But now they’ve had to adapt, and many employees have come to expect a remote work environment.  Now, remote work is common practice in a wide variety of industries — and it’s especially common in tech.

In Japan, many tech companies are working remotely.  And some tech companies allow employees to work from anywhere in Japan.  That means you can work for a Tokyo-based company and live in a totally different area of the country, like Hokkaido.

This can be a great way to earn a big-city salary while saving on expenses and getting to experience other areas of Japan.  So in this post, I’ll introduce companies that allow remote work from anywhere in Japan.

Let’s dive right in!

Remote Work in Japan

Japan’s work culture has a bit of a mixed reputation.

The country is known for its high work ethic and discipline, and the idea of working from home wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms when it was first introduced. But since the pandemic, many tech companies are continuing to work remotely.

It doesn’t mean that everything’s changed, of course. Many older, more traditional companies are kindly requesting their employees to return to the office, and some have already completely switched back to office work.

Luckily, this isn’t the case for the international tech scene (i.e. the companies represented on Japan Dev). There are lots of tech companies that have “seen the light,” and they aren’t going back to the office any time soon.

By the way, we have a separate article introducing companies that hire from anywhere in the world.  So check it out if you want to find companies that even allow you to work from overseas.

Let’s take a look at some of the best companies that allow working from anywhere in Japan and talk about each one a little bit.

Mercari

One of the most successful startup companies in Japan, Mercari, is Japan’s first unicorn. A unicorn refers to a privately funded startup with a value of 1 billion USD, as I explained in my other post on startups in Japan.

Mercari provides an online marketplace app where users can buy and sell their used items. The company was founded in 2013 and currently has over a thousand employees. 

The company started to work remotely during the pandemic and has been doing so ever since. 

Recently, Mercari created a permanent system called “your choice,” which allows all employees to choose whether they’ll work from home or at the office. It’s an “anywhere in Japan” type of deal, which means you don’t have to be in Tokyo to even apply for a job.

Overall, Mercari also has great benefits when it comes to time off. On top of the national holidays and traditional ones like the summer holiday or year’s end, they also provide additional leaves for childbirth, sickness, honeymoon, and even for taking a mental break.

Mercari has a flex-time system for dev-team members, and the core hours are between 12 PM to 4 PM with an hour-lıong lunch break in between.

Autify

Autify is a company that provides AI-powered automation software for software testing. 

While the company already allowed working remotely one day a week before the pandemic, they’ve since switched to full remote work. In fact, the company doesn’t even have an office in Japan anymore.

Autify works on full-flex time, which I explained in my post about flex time in Japan. 

Basically, it means that there are no predetermined work hours, and employees choose to work whenever they want as long as they average a certain time daily or complete their daily tasks. For Autify, the condition is an average of 8 work hours daily.

In addition to the national holidays in Japan, Autify also offers 10 days of paid time off and 5 days of sick leave.

Indeed

Indeed is a job search engine that doesn’t need much introduction.

The Tokyo office of the Austin-based company has a vibrant work environment with many perks, but you don’t have to be there. Indeed allows employees to work from anywhere, as long as they’re in Japan.

The company doesn’t have an official policy for remote work just yet, but it’s generally fine, as managers allow it.

Indeed also has a flex-time policy. Employees are allowed to work whenever they want, and there are no core hours, either. The only thing that matters is the output of work — as long as you finish your daily tasks, you’ll be fine.

The company is also unique with its paid time off policy, as there’s no predetermined limit to it. It’s called an open vacation policy, and employees are free to take time off whenever they need it.

Moneytree

Moneytree is a company that provides financial data analysis and other accounting services to companies, as well as a personal finance app for consumers. The company was established as a startup in 2012.

Most importantly, though, Moneytree is a remote-first company. The only requirement is to be located somewhere in Japan. 

Employees are free to work at the offices if and when they wish to, but Moneytree promises that the remote work model is permanent and that no employee will be forced to return to the office.

The company has a flex-time policy with core working hours between 10 AM and 4 PM, but a typical workday starts at 10 AM and is done by 7 PM.

As for the time off perks, Moneytree offers a whopping 20 days of paid time off, which is pretty good in Japan. There are also 10 days of sick leave in addition, which isn’t common in Japan at all.

RESTAR

RESTAR’s mission is to create an “active and dynamic real estate market” in Japan.  They write software to help real estate companies and financial institutions achieve this.

RESTAR often hires engineers to work on areas like computer vision and web development, and they support full remote work from anywhere in Japan.  Even after COVID-19 is no longer a concern, they intend to continue this policy.

LeapMind

LeapMind is a company that focuses on AI and deep learning. Their core product is a deep learning accelerator that makes machine learning possible in new areas. 

The Tokyo-based company is yet another one that subscribes to the work-from-anywhere model as long as the employees are located within Japan. Some positions do require working at the office, but that’s a rare occurrence. 

LeapMind also has a flex-time with no core hours system for the dev teams. This means that employees are free to work whenever they want.

As for the time off, LeapMind provides 10 days of PTO, but you can only use them after you’ve been employed for a few months. An additional year’s end holiday and Japanese national holidays are also observed.

PayPay

PayPay is a fin-tech company that provides an online payment app. The Tokyo-based company was founded as a startup in 2018.

After the pandemic, the company adopted a unique system called “Work from Anywhere at Anytime,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like — albeit with one caveat. You need to be located in Japan, and you may be asked to come to the office every once in a while for team meetings.

PayPay also has super flex-time, which means that they have no core hours.

The paid time off perks at PayPay are pretty standard, as they provide the paid time off designated by law, which is 10 days. However, you also get 5 days off for the year’s end vacation, as well as Japanese national holidays.

Gaussy

Gaussy is a startup that develops services to solve logistics issues, like “Roboware”, which is a warehouse robot subscription service.

They’re open to remote work from anywhere in Japan, and the company is hiring rapidly so we highly recommend taking a look!

Zig-Zag

Zig-Zag is a company that provides an international shopping platform called “WorldShopping.” The platform connects buyers and sellers worldwide.

Unlike many others on the list, Zig-Zag has predetermined work hours, which are between 10 AM and 7 PM. However, the company is pretty relaxed when it comes to working from home. They allow employees to work from anywhere as long as they’re in Japan.

Zig-Zag’s time off benefits are pretty standard, as everything’s set up according to the Japanese Labor Standards Law. Employees get 10 days of PTO in their first year, and the number increases every year by one until it reaches a maximum of 20 days.

In addition, Zig-Zag provides a long end-of-the-year holiday, as employees can take 2 weeks in December and 3 days at the beginning of January.

Tripla

Tripla is an IT company that provides AI-powered chatbots for various industries, including banking, tourism, and e-commerce.

The company is pretty relaxed, as the work-hour system is flex time, and there are no core hours, either. Dev teams are free to choose when they work as long as they don’t fall behind on tasks.

Tripla also has a work-from-anywhere-in-Japan policy. However, the company expands this policy by hiring people who reside in Taiwan as well.

The time off system at Tripla is also set according to Japanese laws. After getting 10 days of PTO in your first year, you get one extra day each year until you reach a maximum of 20 days off annually.

Arent

Established in 2012, Arent provides computer-based design consulting and automated design services.

Arent seems to have embraced remote working, as they allow employees to work completely remotely as long as they reside somewhere in Japan. The company promises that the system is here to stay, too.

The work hours system at Arent is full-flex time, as there are no core hours. The company also provides 10 days of paid time off annually, in addition to summer, year’s end holidays, and Japanese national holidays.

Merpay

Merpay is a fin-tech startup, and it’s owned by Mercari, Japan’s first unicorn startup we mentioned earlier. The company’s main activities are focused on payment and credit card processing.

Since Merpay is Mercari’s subsidiary, the company also benefits from the “your choice” work system I mentioned above. Employees are completely free to choose whenever and wherever they work, as long as it’s in Japan, of course.

Merpay’s work-hour system is also flex-time with core hours, which are between 12 PM and 4 PM, with an hour of lunch break in between. 

Unlike most companies on the list, Merpay offers a 10-day sick leave in addition to the 10 days paid time off annually, which is kinda unheard of in Japan. Moreover, you get all the Japanese national holidays, as well as the summer and year’s end vacations.

Socious

Socious provides an app with the same name, which is a community platform that allows people to join social service projects and connect with others that have the same goal.

The Tokyo-based company also works remotely and hires from anywhere in Japan. However, employees are asked to participate in in-person meetings twice a year.

The work-hour system at Socious is flex-time, and they don’t have core working hours. Employees can work whenever they want as long as they are getting things done. 

The company is also relaxed in terms of time off, as they provide unlimited PTO days to all employees. This gives the employees full autonomy in terms of when they’ll take time off and for how long.

EmbodyMe

EmbodyMe makes products that make visual content creation a breeze by using patented AI technology.

While the company still hasn’t established a permanent remote work policy, the pandemic measures are still ongoing, and the employees work remotely. 

However, a requirement for coming to the office once a month is currently in talks. That’s not a problem if you live close to Tokyo, of course.

Like many tech companies in Japan, EmbodyMe also gives full autonomy to employees by having flex time with no core hours.

The time off system at EmbodyMe is in accordance with the Japanese Labor Standards Law. This means 10 days of PTO in the first year, and one day is added for each year of work until you reach a total of 20 days.

menu

menu is an app that provides one of the most popular food ordering applications in Japan, and it’s owned by Reazon Holdings.

The company hires from anywhere in Japan, as remote work is possible within the country. Also, this system is not a temporary measure — it’s here to stay.

At menu, dev teams enjoy the perks of full-flex time, and there are no core hours. There’s no information regarding the company’s paid time off policy, but it should be at least according to the legal standards I explained above.

Reazon Holdings

Reazon Holdings works in four distinct industries: gaming, media, ad tech, and food tech. It’s an information technology (IT) company.

The company works fully remotely and hires from anywhere in Japan. Depending on the position, they may even consider hiring from abroad, so working from anywhere in the world might also be possible.

The company’s official language is English, but some positions may require conversational Japanese as well.

Abbeal

Abbeal is a French web and software development consulting company. They provide app and software development services as well.

The work system at Abbeal is project-based, which affects both the work hours and the remote work system. 

Since there are no predetermined work hours, the hours are as flexible as the current project allows. This goes for working from home as well. If the project allows working remotely, the company has no problem accommodating work from home.

However, Abbeal provides awesome time off perks, as the company provides 10 days in the first year and a whopping 20 days in the second. This is pretty decent compared to most companies in Japan.

Appier Japan

Appier Japan utilizes the power of AI to provide software as a service (SaaS), which allows the collection and analysis of data.

The Tokyo-based company implemented a remote working system during the pandemic, and they’re currently still working remotely.

The company promises that the new remote system is here to stay. In fact, they are hiring from anywhere in Japan and even from all over the world for some positions.

Appier Japan’s work-hour system is flex time, and they have core hours between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM with an hour-long lunch break in between.

The paid time off perks of Appier Japan is standard, as the company provides 10 days of PTO. However, new employees can only start using their vacation days after at least 6 months of employment.

Peatix

Peatix provides one of the most popular event registration and ticket sale platforms in Japan.

The company is working remotely and intends to continue doing so even after the pandemic is no longer an issue. As coming to the office is not required at all, the company hires from anywhere in Japan, including other countries.

A usual workday at Peatix lasts 8 hours with an hour-long lunch break. The company works on flex time, which means that employees get to decide when they fulfill their daily 8 hours.

Peatix provides pretty decent paid time off, as they provide 20 days of PTO yearly, in addition to 5 days of personal leave, which isn’t common practice in Japan. They also provide time off during national holidays, of course.

Treasure Data

Treasure Data is a customer data platform (CDP) that provides cloud services and big data analysis.

The company hires from anywhere in Japan, as they’ve embraced remote working during the pandemic and made the change permanent. 

Treasure Data is another company with great time off benefits. The company offers 20 days of paid time off annually. Moreover, the company also provides 7 extra days of sick leave, which is very rare in Japan. Employees also get 5 more days for the year’s end vacation in addition to national holidays.

Treasure Data’s work hours are predetermined and are between 9 AM and 5:30 PM, but they still provide a little bit of flexibility in case you’re late or need to leave early.

MakeLeaps

MakeLeaps provides invoicing software for business owners and freelancers as a SaaS (software as a service).

The company has been working remotely for a while, and there are no plans to return to the office. MakeLeaps hires from all over Japan and even has employees working overseas. However, the company’s only hiring remote employees that reside in Japan currently.

MakeLeaps works on flex time, but they do have core hours between 11 AM and 4 PM, with an hour-long lunch break. A typical day at the company ends at around 6 PM.

At the time of writing, there isn’t sufficient information regarding the time off perks at MakeLeaps.

Commmune

Commmune provides a platform for companies to connect with their customers online. The community platform is focused on customer success and anticipating customers’ needs.

The company works remotely, and they hire employees from anywhere in Japan. They also have a weekly office day for employees who get bored at home and like to be in a social setting every once in a while. This is completely optional, of course.

Commune has a flex time system with core hours between 11 AM and 4 PM with an hour-long lunch break included. Employees are free to work whenever they want outside the core hours.

The company has great time off benefits, as they provide 15 days of PTO with 5 usable days as soon as you start working. In addition, employees get a whopping 10 days of sick leave and all national holidays.

Cybereason

Cybereason is a cybersecurity company that utilizes the power of AI to provide security systems for electronic devices.

Employees at Cybereason can live anywhere in Japan, as the company works fully remotely. They only require you to come to the office on your first day at work, which is reasonable.

The company has fixed work hours. A typical workday at Cybereason starts at 9 AM and ends at 5:45 PM. 

Cybereason offers the standard paid leave of 10 days, in addition to 3 days of year’s end vacation and 5 days of sick leave. The lattermost is usually included in your paid vacation days in Japan and isn’t provided separately. 

Tailor

Tailor provides easy-to-use software development applications that help businesses build their own core systems (ERPs).

Tailor is another company that embraces remote work, as they’re currently working fully remotely and have no intentions to change this. The company hires employees from anywhere in Japan.

Tailor works on a full-flex time system, which allows employees to decide when they work and for how long. However, the usual corporate work hours are between 10 AM and 7 PM, but that’s not enforced.

The company provides a standard 10 days of paid time off in addition to national holidays.

Monstarlab

Monstarlab is a digital consultancy company that operates in various industries such as music and gaming, and their goal is to “empower talent everywhere.”

Monstarlab has a work-from-anywhere-in-Japan policy that’s been made permanent after the pandemic. 

The company offers a full-flex time system for developer teams with no fixed core hours.

There’s currently no information about Monstarlab’s time off perks, but at least a legal minimum of 10 days is expected annually.

dotData

dotData is a company that focuses on AI-powered machine learning and data analysis automation.

The USA-based company doesn’t require employees to come to the office as they have a remote work system. However, they hire from within Japan.

dotData works on a fixed-time schedule basis, and the regular work hours begin at 9 AM and last until 6 PM. There’s an hour of lunch break in between, of course.

The paid time off system at dotData is according to the Japanese Labor Standards Law, which is 10 days in the first year with one day added for each year of work until a maximum of 20 is reached.

Fragcolor

Fragcolor is a Kyoto-based game studio. The company has a multi-platform app that allows developers to build games easier. Their app, or game engine, also helps designers create assets and content for video game-making and virtual world-building.

Even though Fragcolor is located in Kyoto, the company hires from all over Japan. It’s a permanent thing, too, as they intend to keep working remotely even after the pandemic is over.

As for the time off perks at Fragcolor, there isn’t sufficient information at the time of writing. However, the legal minimum is guaranteed, which is 10 days yearly.

Resola

Resola is a software company that centers its products around deep learning and AI. The company provides chatbots and marketing tools in addition to providing consultancy to companies from a wide variety of industries.

The Tokyo-based company has also embraced remote work as they hire from anywhere in Japan. However, keep in mind that Resola only offers flexible remote work to employees who aren’t in managing positions.

The company has fixed work hours, which are between 10 AM and 7 PM, and there’s an hour-long lunch break in between.

Resola’s time off perks are slightly above the standard, as the company provides 12 days of paid time off in addition to Japanese national holidays.

PlayBrain

PlayBrain builds products that gamers love.  They work on esports, marketing for games, and a whole lot more.  In particular, PlayBrain is well known for their work on Japan’s professional League of Legends league.

Their primary language is English and PlayBrain supports full remote work from anywhere in Japan.  Be sure to take a look at this company if you’d like the flexibility to live outside of Japan’s major cities.

Flatt Security

Flatt Security provides security services for developers.  They aim to help speed up product development by delivering next-generation security solutions.

Flatt Security also allows employees to live anywhere in Japan.  They may ask you to come to their office occasionally for company events, and you’re free to work from their office if you choose, but it’s not a requirement.

They hire product and platform engineers, so we recommend taking a look at Flatt Security if you’re in the market for a new tech job in Japan. 

Ubie

A tech startup from Tokyo, Ubie provides healthcare products that are powered by AI. They mainly work on software as a service (SaaS) products for hospitals.

Ubie is another remote-first company on this list, as they allow employees to work from anywhere as long as they’re in the same time zone. The offices are also available for anyone who wishes to work in an office environment.

As the work-hour system is flex time, you decide your work hours at Ubie. There are no core hours either. The average workday is 8 hours, but you’ll be fine as long as you don’t fall behind on your tasks.

Ubie offers 14 days of paid time off yearly, in addition to traditional Japanese holidays like year’s end and summer vacations, as well as Japanese national holidays.

Colorkrew

Colorkrew is a company that works in diverse fields. They have products for cloud management, app development, and payment authentication. Furthermore, they also have products that make working enjoyable, like Goalous, which is a social media-like app that gamifies team/project management.

The company generally allows remote work from anywhere in Japan, but keep in mind that you may be asked to visit the office every once in a while. 

Colorkrew has a flex-time system with core hours between 10 AM and 2 PM, but there’s a one-hour lunch break in between. 

The company also provides 10 days of PTO in the first year, which will increase yearly according to the Japanese Labor Standards Law. In addition, Colorkrew offers situational leaves like childbirth or honeymoon and 5 extra days for summer and 5 more for winter vacations.

Conclusion

Japan might be notorious when it comes to its work culture, but this certainly doesn’t represent reality. 

As you see, I’ve talked about 30 companies in this post, and they all have pretty decent work conditions. Some of them even have great time off benefits and super-flexible hours.

These aren’t the only ones, either. It’s just a selection I’ve put together, but there are many more to discover.

If you’re looking for a job in Japan, I recommend you check the company list on the Japan Dev website. It’s personally vetted by the Japan Dev team, and we add new companies frequently.

As I conclude this post, I also would like to share a guide I’ve prepared for finding software developer jobs in Japan. It should provide you with all the basics you’ll need and guide you through every step of the process.

P.S: want to see companies that allow you to work anywhere in the world?  Check out our list of worldwide remote companies.  It lists Japanese and international tech companies that allow you to work from abroad as well as anywhere in Japan.