What Smart Partners does

Smart Partners K.K. (スマートパートナーズ株式会社) is a privately-held, founder-owned Japanese employment services firm headquartered in Tokyo's Sumida district, established in February 2007. The company operates as a licensed staffing provider under Japan's Worker Dispatch Act, holding a Worker Dispatch Business License (Ha-13-311061) and a Recruitment License (13-Yu-302928), and serves overseas companies entering or operating in Japan that need to hire employees without establishing a local legal entity. The core offering is Employer of Record (EOR) and Global Employment Outsourcing (GEO) services, in which Smart Partners legally employs workers on behalf of client organizations and handles payroll, tax withholding, social insurance enrollment, and labor-law compliance.

The company delivers its services through a bilingual in-country team of 25 employees and contractors, supported by government-certified advisors including a certified social insurance and labor consultant, a certified tax accountant, and a Japanese attorney on retainer. Beyond EOR/GEO, the portfolio includes recruitment (personnel introduction under the paid employment placement license), temporary staffing (worker dispatch), project outsourcing with defined deliverables, and a premium Global Executive Outsourcing™ sub-brand for placing bilingual Japanese executives and interim country managers. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly recurring service fees quoted per employee and per engagement, supplemented by project-based professional services fees. Enhanced employee benefits — including 15-20 days paid leave (above the statutory 10), ¥18M+ accidental death insurance, and ¥250M per-employee employer liability coverage — are positioned as a differentiator against digital-first EOR competitors.

Commercially, Smart Partners pursues a consultative, face-to-face sales motion targeting overseas companies entering Japan, supplemented by content marketing through the "EOR Japan Info" blog and organic social channels. The firm has operated continuously since 2007 with no disclosed external investment, acquisitions, or geographic expansion beyond its single Tokyo office, and reports no public revenue figures. Its technology stack is described as compliance infrastructure rather than software, with no proprietary platform, API, or AI tooling disclosed across sources.

Name

Smart Partners

Legal name

Smart Partners K.K. (スマートパートナーズ株式会社)

Website

https://smartpartners.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Partners K.K. is a Tokyo-based, licensed Japanese employment services firm founded in 2007 that provides Employer of Record, Global Employment Outsourcing, recruitment, temp staffing, and project outsourcing to overseas companies hiring employees in Japan without a local legal entity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employer of Record Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Compensation & Global Share Plan Administration (BPACAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Contractor / Freelancer Payments (FSAMAKAC), Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO)

Keywords

• Employer of record services
• Global employment outsourcing
• Japan workforce solutions
• Recruitment services
• Temporary staffing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sumida

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Employer of Record (EOR) Services: Licensed employment services where Smart Partners legally employs workers on behalf of client organizations. Handles payroll, tax withholding, social insurance enrollment, and employment compliance. Revenue generated through service fees charged to client companies.
2. Global Employment Outsourcing (GEO): Comprehensive workforce management services including payroll management, compliance assurance, employee benefits administration, and ongoing support throughout contract periods.
3. Recruitment Services: Recruitment license services providing candidates for direct hire by client companies. Operates under Recruitment License No: 13-Yu-302928.
4. Temporary Staffing / Dispatch: Worker dispatch services under Labor Dispatch License Number: 派13-316197, providing temporary staffing solutions to client organizations.
5. Outsourcing and Project Management: Project-based outsourcing engagements where Smart Partners manages deliverables and supervises workers, structured properly under Japanese outsourcing/contracting frameworks.
6. Global Executive Outsourcing (GEO): Executive-level outsourcing providing bilingual local Japanese nationals or fluent Japanese-speaking foreign nationals with industry expertise to lead client operations in Japan, including interim country manager, market entry specialist, and expat executive placement services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smart Partners is a licensed Japanese employment services firm that helps overseas companies hire and operate in Japan without establishing a local legal entity. Through its Employer of Record (EOR) and Global Employment Outsourcing (GEO) offerings, it legally employs workers on behalf of client organizations, handling payroll, tax withholding, social insurance enrollment, and labor law compliance. The firm supplements these core services with recruitment (personnel introduction), business process outsourcing/project management, and temporary dispatch staffing, all delivered by a bilingual in-country Tokyo team supported by certified tax accountants, labor consultants, and legal counsel.

Product overview

Smart Partners operates as a licensed Japanese employment services provider offering a unified portfolio of workforce solutions centered on Employer of Record (EOR) and Global Employment Outsourcing (GEO) services. The core offering comprises EOR services for legally employing workers on behalf of foreign companies, supplemented by Global Executive Outsourcing for leadership placement, Recruitment for personnel introduction, Outsourcing for business process services, and Temp Staffing for temporary dispatch. All services are delivered through a bilingual in-country team backed by government-certified professionals including tax accountants, labor consultants, and lawyers. The company was established in 2007 and maintains licensing under Japan's Worker Dispatch Act and worker recruitment regulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Executive Outsourcing™ (GEO): Industry-experienced leadership service providing bilingual local Japanese nationals or fluent Japanese-speaking foreign nationals to lead Japan operations
• Experts On Request™

Products and services

• Employer of Record (EOR)

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies can avoid ¥50,000,000+ first-year entity setup costs by using EOR services
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deel: Global EOR and contractor management platform with operations in 150+ countries, including Japan. Competes head-on with Smart Partners' EOR and GEO services but serves a much broader market with a software-led, self-service delivery model rather than local-licensed specialist approach.
• Remote: Global EOR, payroll, and contractor management platform covering 80+ countries including Japan. Directly competes with Smart Partners in EOR for Japan-based hires but at much larger scale, using proprietary IP and technology rather than licensed local specialists.
• Velocity Global: Global EOR and international expansion services provider covering 185+ countries including Japan. Comparable in providing compliant employment structures abroad, but with a tech-led model and broader geographic footprint than Smart Partners.
• Globalization Partners: Established global EOR provider with extensive Japan coverage and enterprise customer base. Overlaps directly with Smart Partners on EOR and global employment services, but operates a multinational tech-enabled platform rather than a Japan-localized bilingual team model.

Regional players

• Pasona: One of Japan's largest staffing and HR services providers with broad temp staffing, BPO, and career placement offerings. Overlaps with Smart Partners' licensed worker dispatch and outsourcing services, though operating at vastly larger scale and including domestic-focused engagements.
• JAC Recruitment: Japan-headquartered recruitment firm specializing in mid-to-senior placements across multiple industries. Overlaps with Smart Partners' recruitment license services for bilingual professionals and direct hire, with deeper brand recognition but a less EOR-focused model.
• Robert Walters Japan: UK-headquartered recruitment firm with substantial Japan operations focused on mid-senior and bilingual professional placements. Comparable to Smart Partners in serving overseas companies hiring into Japan, though primarily placement-driven rather than EOR-driven.
• Michael Page Japan: Global recruitment firm with dedicated Japan operations placing bilingual professionals in mid-to-senior roles. Comparable to Smart Partners' recruitment services and bilingual talent focus, but operates primarily as a permanent placement agency without EOR infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Rivermate: Global EOR and payroll provider offering Japan-specific employer of record services for international companies hiring in Japan. Direct overlap with Smart Partners' EOR core product, both focused on simplifying Japan employment compliance for foreign employers.
• Multiplier: Tech-enabled EOR and payroll provider covering 150+ countries including Japan. Closely comparable in offering EOR services to companies hiring abroad without entities, though with a SaaS-first model versus Smart Partners' hands-on consultative delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kksmartpartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/SmartPartnersKK
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartpartnerskk

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart Partners