Employment · Documentation · Compliance
Documentation that reflects how your company actually works — and holds when it matters
Holt Blend Park reviews and prepares employment contracts, work rules and internal policies for companies whose documentation has not kept pace with how the business has grown.
Back to HomeWhat this covers
What Employment Documentation Review delivers
Employment documentation in Japan carries specific legal requirements that vary by company size, and these requirements shift as headcount grows. Contracts drafted at five employees may contain provisions that are unenforceable — or simply missing — at twenty.
This service covers the preparation and review of employment contracts, work rules and internal policies. Particular attention is paid to the terms most often drafted imprecisely: fixed overtime allowances, transfer clauses, and the consultation steps required before revised rules can be adopted. Three to four weeks from instruction to delivery.
Marked-up documentation
Every change shown with a plain explanation of what was amended and the reason for it.
Provisions flagged
A note of the clauses unlikely to hold if tested, so you can decide how to address them.
Adoption guidance
The consultation steps required before revised rules take effect, written out clearly.
The situation
Employment documents drafted for a smaller company tend to stay in place as the company grows
The original contract was prepared quickly when the first hire was made. The work rules were copied from a template found online. As the team grew, the documents were not revisited because there were more immediate things to attend to, and nothing had caused a problem yet.
The difficulty is that Japanese employment law applies requirements that scale with headcount. A company that crosses certain thresholds is obliged to have work rules in a specific form, submitted to the Labour Standards Inspection Office. Fixed overtime allowances, if calculated incorrectly, can create retrospective liability. Transfer clauses drafted without care may not be enforceable when you need them to be.
None of this becomes visible until something goes wrong. By that point, the documentation is a constraint on what can be done rather than something that supports it. Reviewing it while things are going well is considerably more straightforward than addressing it under pressure.
The approach
How this engagement works
The engagement begins with a review of your current documentation alongside a picture of how the company is structured now — headcount, employment types, any recent or expected changes. From this, the applicable requirements are identified and mapped against what is currently in place.
Each document is then reviewed in detail. The output is a marked-up version showing what has been changed, why, and what the relevant legal basis is. Provisions that are imprecise or unlikely to hold if tested are noted separately, with a plain explanation of the risk they carry and the options for addressing it.
Where revised work rules need to be adopted, the consultation steps required under Japanese law are set out clearly — who needs to be consulted, in what form, and what needs to be filed and where. The process of adoption is often where compliance breaks down, and this is addressed directly rather than left as an exercise for the reader.
Working together
What the process looks like from your side
Initial exchange — Week 1
You send your current documentation — contracts, work rules, any internal policies in use — along with a brief description of your company size and employment structure. Within two working days you receive a response confirming the scope of the review and what the next step is.
Review meeting — Week 1
A meeting by video call or in person to go through your situation in full. This allows the review to be shaped by the actual circumstances of your company rather than the documents alone. Any particular concerns you have about existing provisions are noted at this stage.
Review and drafting — Weeks 2–3
The documentation is reviewed in full and marked-up versions prepared. A note of provisions flagged for attention is produced alongside. An opportunity to raise questions on the draft is built into this stage before anything is finalised.
Delivery and adoption guidance — Weeks 3–4
Final documents delivered with the adoption guidance note. You receive a clear account of the consultation steps needed, what to file, and by when, so the transition from old documentation to new is handled in a way that is legally sound.
Investment
Transparent fee structure
Employment Documentation Review
¥36,000 JPY
Three to four weeks from instruction to delivery
Included
Full review of existing employment contracts, work rules and internal policies
Marked-up version of each document showing what has changed and why
Written note of provisions unlikely to hold if tested, with explanation of risk and options
Guidance on the consultation steps required before revised rules can be adopted
Filing checklist for work rules submission where applicable
Written handover summary of all changes made and the basis for each
The fee stated above covers the scope described. If your documentation is more extensive — multiple contract types, a large policy library, or a particularly complex work rules structure — this is identified at the review meeting and any variation agreed in writing before work proceeds.
Method and timeline
How progress is tracked and what to expect
The three to four week timeline reflects the actual review and drafting process, including client review time. It is not shortened to appear more appealing. Each stage has a specific output so you know what is happening and when.
Days 1–4
Document intake and review meeting
Existing documents received, review meeting held, instruction agreement issued, scope confirmed.
Days 5–16
Review and drafting
Full review conducted. Marked-up documents and flagged provisions note prepared. Draft shared with client for review.
Days 17–22
Client review and finalisation
Questions addressed, any further amendments made, final versions prepared.
Days 23–28
Delivery and adoption guidance
Final documents delivered with adoption guidance note, filing checklist and written summary.
What to prepare
Document checklist for first contact
The following materials are useful to have available when making first contact. You do not need to prepare anything formally — sending the documents as they currently exist is sufficient to begin.
Current employment contracts in use, including any variations for different roles or employment types
Work rules (就業規則) if these exist, including any supplements
Internal policies in use — leave, remote working, expenses, conduct, or similar
Current headcount and whether the company has crossed or is approaching 10 or 50 employees
A note of any provisions you have particular concerns about or that have caused uncertainty in practice
Whether work rules have previously been submitted to the Labour Standards Inspection Office, and when
Our commitment
What you can hold us to
The fee is fixed before instruction
The fee of ¥36,000 JPY covers the scope described. If the review meeting reveals that your documentation is substantially more extensive than indicated, any variation is discussed and agreed in writing before work begins.
Changes explained, not just made
Every amendment in the marked-up documentation is accompanied by a plain explanation. You will not receive a revised contract with unexplained changes and be expected to trust that they are improvements.
Risks noted plainly
Where your existing documentation contains provisions unlikely to hold if tested, these are noted in plain terms — what the provision says, why it is problematic, and what the options are. Nothing is glossed over.
No obligation in making contact
The initial exchange and review meeting carry no commitment to proceed. If after the meeting you decide this is not the right time, you are under no obligation to instruct.
How to start
A straightforward path forward
Making contact requires nothing more than a brief note and, if you have them, the documents you would like reviewed. There is no obligation to proceed at any stage.
Write to us
Use the contact form on the main page or email info@domain.com with a short description of your company and the documentation you would like reviewed. Attaching the existing documents at this stage is helpful but not required.
Receive a response within two working days
The response confirms whether this falls within the scope of the service. If it does, a time for the review meeting is proposed. If not, you will be told plainly.
Attend the review meeting
Held in person in Osaka or by video call. If you decide to instruct after this meeting, the written agreement is issued and work begins according to the agreed timeline. Documents are returned within three to four weeks.
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Further areas Holt Blend Park handles
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