Foreign Worker Hiring Grant Cut to ¥250,000 from Oct 2026

The maximum fell from ¥800,000 to ¥250,000, and the required measures grew

*From the MHLW guidebook and payment guidelines (versions of 1 April 2026 and 1 October 2026). Whether the old rules apply depends on the date the plan was submitted (payment guidelines 0802, transitional measures).

Under the old rules, adding one optional measure to the two required ones brought ¥600,000. Doing the same under the new rules brings ¥200,000. The amount went down, but interviews are more frequent and the training is now required, so the work went up.

Employers who hire foreign workers covered by employment insurance are eligible. Any residence status counts, including Technical Intern Training, Specified Skilled Worker and Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (Special Permanent Residents and the statuses Diplomat and Official are excluded). The grant is paid per company, once, however many workplaces it has[MHLW Guidebook (as of 1 October 2026) (in Japanese)].

The two measures needed for the ¥200,000

1. Appoint an employment and labour manager

• Appoint one person for each workplace where foreign workers work, and announce their name and that they handle complaints and consultations, by notice board or internal email
• The manager interviews every foreign worker at least once every 3 months and keeps records (video calls are fine)
• Tell workers about outside contacts, such as the Labour Standards Inspection Office, where they can report legal violations
• Every manager takes the "Employment and Labour Manager Training for Foreign Workers" by the last day of the plan period

The manager does not have to be full-time in the role. A head of HR, for example, can do it alongside other work. The training is free, online and about 3 hours 30 minutes long. Applications for the December 2026 sessions have already closed, and dates from January onward have not been announced[Employment and Labour Manager Training for Foreign Workers (in Japanese)].

2. Translate work rules, internal manuals and similar documents

For each of the three types below, put at least one document into the worker's native language or plain Japanese, and give it to the worker. If you employ two or more foreign workers, one worker's language is enough.

1. Work rules or a collective labour agreement
2. A notice of working conditions or an employment contract
3. Internal manuals (safety and health, harassment or welfare manuals, signs, videos and so on)

If documents of type 1 or 2 were already translated for all workers before the plan, you do not need to redo that type. For type 3, only manuals newly translated during the plan period count.

The ¥50,000 add-on: holidays for a trip home

Add a new paid holiday for trips home to your work rules, separate from annual paid leave, and have workers actually take at least 5 days in a row at least once a year. This raises the grant to ¥250,000. The application needs a copy of the boarding pass stub and the wage ledger for that month.

Payment comes more than a year and a half after you submit the plan

The plan period can be set anywhere from 3 months to 1 year. Even with the shortest, 3 months, you wait 6 months after the plan period and then apply within 2 months, so it takes almost a year from submission to application. For example, if you submit a plan in November 2026 with January to March 2027 as the plan period, you can apply in October to November 2027.

In the turnover calculation, the following are not counted as leavers: retirement at the mandatory age, dismissal for a serious reason attributable to the worker, and returning home after reaching the maximum period of stay (Specified Skilled Worker (i), Technical Intern Training and so on).

When you cannot get it, and when it is not worth it

• You have not filed the foreign worker employment status notification: if the notification to Hello Work is missing, the grant is not paid
• You dismissed someone for company reasons: if you dismissed anyone, Japanese staff included, or pushed them to resign for company reasons between 6 months before the day before the plan period starts and the last day of the plan period, you are not eligible
• You received it within the last 3 years: you cannot submit a new plan until 3 years have passed from the day after the last payment decision
• Only workers without employment insurance: foreign workers not covered by employment insurance, such as part-timers working under 20 hours a week, do not count
• The only eligible workers plan to leave during the plan period: the grant is not paid

The new ¥200,000 is a flat amount, whatever you actually spend. A labour and social security attorney will charge a fee to handle the application, and you must keep interview records every 3 months for more than a year and a half. If you employ only a few foreign workers, compare the work against the amount first. The grant counts as company income and is taxed (Guide to subsidies and grants).

If you receive another national subsidy or grant for the same measure, you may be able to receive only one of them. The plan form has a field where you list every subsidy you receive or plan to receive.

Prefectural subsidies cover dormitories and Japanese-language training

The national grant is a flat amount for setting up systems, such as appointing a manager and translating documents. Costs like renovating a dormitory, installing air conditioners or running Japanese classes are covered by prefectural subsidies instead. These are examples open for applications in fiscal 2026.

*From each prefecture's official page (checked 22 October 2026). Tottori excludes businesses in agriculture, elderly care and disability welfare. Miyagi is for farmers in the prefecture. Shimane excludes the care and nursing sectors. Fukuoka requires a Partnership Building Declaration.

Every prefecture closes applications once its budget runs out. Niigata Prefecture's "Foreign Talent Acceptance and Retention Support Programme" has already reached its fiscal 2026 budget limit and stopped accepting applications[Niigata Prefecture, Subsidy for Improving the Environment for Accepting Foreign Talent (in Japanese)]. Prefectural subsidies do not cover work or purchases started before the grant decision, so apply first and start afterwards.

Some municipalities run their own subsidies too. You can search for subsidies in your company's municipality in the Subsidy database. Year-end adjustment and dependant paperwork for foreign employees are covered in Tax returns and year-end adjustment for foreign residents.

Summary

• The national Foreign Worker Work Environment Improvement Course pays ¥200,000 (¥250,000 with home-leave holidays) for plans submitted on or after 1 October
• Companies that submitted a plan by 30 September stay on the old rules (¥200,000 per measure, up to ¥800,000)
• The new rules require interviews every 3 months and manager training (free, about 3 hours 30 minutes)
• With a 1-year plan period, you can apply 1 year 8 months after submitting the plan
• Dormitory and Japanese-language costs are covered by prefectural subsidies, such as Tottori Prefecture's (up to ¥1.5 million)

References (sources)

• MHLW, Human Resources Securing Support Grant (Foreign Worker Work Environment Improvement Course) (in Japanese)
• MHLW Guidebook (as of 1 October 2026) (in Japanese) / Payment guidelines (1 October 2026) (in Japanese)
• MHLW Guidebook (as of 1 April 2026, old rules) (in Japanese)
• MHLW, Labour Policy Council, Employment Security Subcommittee (227th meeting), Document 1-1: Outline of the draft ministerial ordinance amending the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Employment Insurance Act (25 September 2026) (in Japanese)
• MHLW-commissioned programme, Employment and Labour Manager Training for Foreign Workers (in Japanese)
• Tottori Prefecture, Subsidy for Improving Living Conditions for Foreign Talent (in Japanese)
• Miyagi Prefecture, FY2026 Subsidy for Support Systems for Accepting Foreign Agricultural Workers (in Japanese)
• Shimane Prefecture, Foreign Talent Retention Support Subsidy (in Japanese)
• Fukuoka Prefecture, Subsidy for Companies Accepting Foreign Talent (in Japanese)
• Nagano Prefecture, Japanese-Language Learning Support Subsidy for Foreign Talent (in Japanese)
• Niigata Prefecture, Subsidy for Improving the Environment for Accepting Foreign Talent (in Japanese)

*This article provides general information based on materials published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and each prefecture as of 22 October 2026. Whether a grant is paid is decided by the competent prefectural labour bureau or the relevant prefectural office. For individual cases, consult a labour and social security attorney or another specialist.