IHolon

What IHolon does

iHOLON is a Tokyo-headquartered recruitment and staffing firm founded in May 2018 by Representative Director Son Ritsuaki, with overseas operational bases in China and Vietnam. The company serves Japanese companies seeking IT, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and service-sector talent, as well as Japanese and foreign job seekers, by brokering cross-border placements between Japan and South/Southeast Asia. It operates under multiple Japanese regulatory licenses: paid employment placement (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, April 2019), worker dispatching (December 2022), and Registered Support Organization certification for Specified Skilled Worker visa holders (Ministry of Justice, January 2025).

The company's revenue mix spans five service lines: (1) success-fee recruitment placement handling 20,000+ job listings; (2) talent dispatch/staffing across manufacturing, logistics, IT, and services; (3) IT system development and contract engineering (SES) using Java, Python, React, AWS, Oracle; (4) end-to-end support services for Specified Skilled Worker visa holders; and (5) M&A advisory for SMEs and startups, launched in December 2025. A proprietary platform, PoliJob, completed in 2023 after two years of development, integrates job seekers, corporate HR departments, and recruitment agencies into a unified job portal and business management system.

Distribution is delivered through direct sales to enterprise and SMB clients, a network of 40+ partner recruitment and staffing firms across Japan (including Nikken Total Sourcing, Recruit R&D Staffing, TechnoPro Design), and a multilingual advisory team covering Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, English, and French. Pricing is predominantly quote-based, with placement services on a success-fee structure (no charge until a candidate successfully joins) and dispatch services earning margin on hourly/daily billing rates. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, and ownership is concentrated with the founder.

Name

IHolon

Legal name

株式会社iHOLON

Website

https://iholon.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iHOLON is a Tokyo-based recruitment and staffing agency that connects Japanese companies with Japanese and foreign talent, primarily across IT, engineering, and manufacturing, operating across Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, and India under multiple Japanese government licenses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment and Staffing Services

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire (BPACAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Mobility, Immigration & Relocation (BPACAPAN), Global Contractor Engagement & Cross-Border Payments (BPACAGAI)

Keywords

• Talent recruitment services
• Worker dispatch services
• Foreign worker support
• IT system development
• M&A advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment / Talent Introduction Services: iHOLON operates a paid employment placement (有料職業紹介) business licensed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (since April 2019). The company charges success-based fees, collecting compensation only when a candidate successfully joins a company. The company handles over 20,000 job listings and serves both Japanese and foreign talent.
2. Talent Dispatch / Staffing Services: iHOLON holds a worker dispatching license (労働者派遣事業許可) obtained in December 2022. The company dispatches both Japanese and foreign workers to client companies across manufacturing, logistics, IT, services, and other sectors, earning margin on hourly/daily rates charged to client companies.
3. IT System Development: iHOLON provides contract product development (SES) and in-house product development services. The company has engineers experienced in various technical fields who handle everything from proposal to support, serving clients across multiple industries.
4. Specified Skilled Worker Services: As a registered support organization certified by the Ministry of Justice, iHOLON provides end-to-end services for foreign workers holding 'Specified Skilled Worker' visas, including pre-arrival guidance, airport pickup, housing, orientation, and ongoing consultations. Revenue is generated through support fees charged to client companies.
5. M&A Advisory Services: Launched in December 2025, iHOLON provides M&A advisory services targeting SMEs and startups, including buyer/seller identification, valuation, deal structuring, due diligence support, and post-merger integration (PMI). Revenue is generated through advisory fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

iHOLON is a recruitment and staffing firm that places Japanese and foreign talent (IT engineers, sales, administrative, consulting professionals) with companies across Japan, billing on success-based placement fees and dispatch rate margins. It also operates IT system contract development, end-to-end Specified Skilled Worker visa support for foreign nationals, and M&A advisory for SMEs and startups, with overseas bases in Vietnam and China supporting cross-border recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PoliJob: A self-developed recruitment platform and business management system that integrates job seekers, companies' HR departments, and recruitment agencies for centralized information management. Developed over approximately 2 years and scheduled for release in 2023.

Products and services

• Paid Employment Placement / Talent Introduction Success-fee based talent introduction service licensed by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare that connects Japanese and foreign job seekers (IT engineers, sales, administrative, consulting professionals) with employers across Japan. iHOLON handles over 20,000 job listings and charges only on successful placement.
• Worker Dispatch / Talent Dispatch Staffing Licensed worker dispatching service that supplies Japanese and foreign workers to client companies in manufacturing, logistics, IT, services, and other sectors, with margin earned on hourly/daily rates charged to clients.
• IT System Development (SES / Contract Product Development) Contract product development / System Engineering Services covering proposal, design, development, and support for iOS/Android apps, web services, UI/UX design, B2B solutions, big data, IoT, AI integration, and AWS-based cloud infrastructure for clients across multiple industries.
• Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) Support Services End-to-end support services for foreign workers holding Specified Skilled Worker visas and their Japanese employers, delivered by a Registered Support Organization: pre-arrival guidance, airport pickup, housing, orientation, and ongoing consultation, with revenue earned through support fees charged to client companies.
• M&A Advisory Services End-to-end M&A advisory for Japanese SMEs and startups, covering buyer/seller identification, valuation, deal structuring, due diligence support, and post-merger integration (PMI), leveraging iHOLON's HR and IT expertise and cross-industry network.
• PoliJob — Recruitment Platform and Business Management System Proprietary in-house developed job portal and business management system that consolidates previously scattered recruitment processes into a single platform, enabling employees, HR departments, and recruitment agencies to share candidate, role, and operational information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ job listings available at any given time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Katahira Legal Management Office (片平法務経営事務所)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2025iHOLON entered a comprehensive business alliance with Katahira Legal Management Office (based in Shinjuku, Tokyo) on December 1, 2019, to provide a 'one-stop service' combining foreign talent recruitment with visa application support. Katahira brings over 12 years of experience in immigration-related visa applications, enabling seamless end-to-end service for foreign workers.
• Indian Recruitment Company (India HR Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2019Following a September 2019 partnership with a major Indian talent agency, iHOLON signed another business partnership on November 20, 2019 with an Indian recruitment company engaged in advanced IT talent placement and offshore development projects. This extends iHOLON's ability to source and place Indian IT talent with Japanese companies.
• Indian Foreign Human Resources ApprovalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2019iHOLON obtained official approval to handle foreign human resources from India on October 9, 2019, in addition to its existing domestic IT talent placement services. This enables the company to introduce advanced IT human resources from India to Japanese companies.
• Nikken Total Sourcing Co., Ltd. (日研 totalesソーシング株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page. A major Japanese staffing and recruitment company.
• Career Bank Co., Ltd. (キャリアバンク株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Hopps Inc. (株式会社ホープス)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Realrise Inc. (株式会社Realrise)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• YOUTRUST Inc. (株式会社YOUTRUST)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Porters Inc. (ポーターズ株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Forward Inc. (株式会社フォワード)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• INTLOOP Inc. (INTLOOP株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• LYTech Co., Ltd. (LYTech 株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Arsaga Partners Inc. (アルサーガパートナーズ株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• SNS Soft Co., Ltd. (株式会社SNSソフト)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Bold Inc. (株式会社ボールド)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Identity Inc. (株式会社アイデンティティーター)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• TECO Consulting Inc. (TECO consulting株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• TS Cloud Inc. (株式会社TSクラウド)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Global Power Inc. (株式会社グローバルパワー)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page. A company specializing in foreign worker dispatching services.
• Human Global Talent Inc. (ヒューマングローバ ルタレント株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Circus Inc. (Circus株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page.
• Intership in JapanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner company on iHOLON's partner page. A company focused on internship programs in Japan for foreign nationals.
• SHAKIR KAMOSHIDA IP (シャキール・カモシダ IP特許事務所)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAssisted iHOLON with trademark registration of the company name and logo through the Japan Patent Office. Shinichi Kamoshida provided guidance and support throughout the registration process.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Japan: Global staffing leader with broad Japan operations in permanent placement, temporary staffing, and HR solutions — competes with iHOLON in staffing/dispatch but at vastly larger scale.
• Pasona Group: Diversified Japanese HR services company with staffing, BPO, career placement, and global talent solutions — broader portfolio than iHOLON but with overlapping foreign-worker and dispatch services.
• TechnoPro Holdings: Japan's largest engineering staffing and outsourcing group — overlaps with iHOLON's IT engineer dispatch/SES business at significantly larger scale (named as an iHOLON partner company).
• ManpowerGroup Japan: Global workforce solutions provider with a Japan presence covering permanent placement, staffing, and workforce management — overlapping on the staffing/dispatch side, though iHOLON is far more foreign-talent specialized.

Emerging players

• Daijob.com: Japan-focused bilingual job board and recruitment platform targeting foreign-language professionals — adjacent business model and very similar candidate pool to iHOLON.

Direct peers

• Robert Walters Japan: Global recruitment firm with a Japan office focused on multilingual professional and IT placements — overlapping directly with iHOLON's target market of Japanese employers hiring foreign-language professionals.
• Hays Japan: UK-based global recruiter with Japan operations placing specialists across IT, engineering, and life sciences — comparable in serving enterprise hiring needs with international candidate sourcing.
• JAC Recruitment: Japan-headquartered international recruitment firm specializing in mid-to-senior level cross-border placements between Japan, Asia, and global markets — directly comparable to iHOLON's multilingual, cross-border permanent placement model.
• Michael Page Japan: Global PageGroup brand operating in Japan, placing mid-senior professionals across IT, engineering, and finance — serving a similar bilingual/multilingual candidate pool as iHOLON.
• RGF HR Agent Japan: Recruit Group's international recruitment arm focused on placing bilingual professionals into Japanese firms — the closest scale competitor to iHOLON's multilingual direct-hire thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iHOLON.recruitmentagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iholon
• Instagraminstagram.com/iholon_jp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 IHolon