Top Ten Headhunting Firms in Japan’s Recruitment Industry in 2025

As Japanese companies accelerate their globalization efforts, the demand for cross-border talent mobility has surged, making the headhunting industry increasingly important in the Japanese market. Based on authoritative industry data, corporate service models, and market reputation, this article carefully selects ten leading headhunting firms that have established deep roots in Japan. It provides an in-depth analysis from multiple perspectives—including business coverage, technological strengths, and industry expertise—to offer businesses precise guidance for selecting the right partner.

Top Ten Headhunting Firms in Japan’s Recruitment Industry in 2025

1. Korn Ferry

As a global leader in human resources consulting, Korn Ferry positions itself in the Japanese market around “strategic talent solutions.” Its team excels at helping Japanese companies build localized teams to support their global expansion. Leveraging a globally comprehensive network of industry talent and an AI-powered job-profile system, Korn Ferry can precisely match talent needs across all levels—from senior executives to technical experts—and serves clients ranging from Japan’s leading multinational corporations to emerging tech startups.

2. Forestown International

Forestown International, which specializes in the global placement of mid-to-high-end talent, has developed a “Industry Technology + Language & Culture” dual-engine service model tailored for the Japanese market. Its team comprises seasoned consultants with backgrounds in multinational corporations and possesses deep expertise in mapping out core talent pools across fields such as smart manufacturing, new energy, semiconductors, and healthcare. Leveraging a self-developed intelligent matching system that integrates industry knowledge bases and talent databases, Forestown can swiftly analyze corporate needs and provide end-to-end services—from R&D to compliance—for Japanese companies’ Chinese subsidiaries and Chinese enterprises expanding overseas. The company particularly excels in technology-intensive sectors.

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3. Recruit Holdings

Japan’s leading human resources firm, Recruit Holdings, has two key subsidiaries: RGF Professional Recruitment, which specializes in executive search for high-end positions, and BizReach, which focuses on the executive market for professionals earning over 10 million yen annually. Leveraging the group’s ecosystem data spanning multiple industries and its deep industry insights, its headhunting teams are able to accurately identify talent mobility trends and provide Japanese companies with comprehensive talent development solutions—from entry-level positions all the way up to senior executive roles.

4. JAC Recruitment

JAC Recruitment, positioned as a “transnational talent bridge,” features a team of bilingual consultants who are intimately familiar with cultural differences between China and Japan. They excel at matching Japanese companies’ Chinese branches with versatile talents who possess both linguistic proficiency and technical expertise. At the same time, they provide services to Chinese enterprises seeking to expand into Japan by helping them recruit foreign experts. Supported by a dual database—comprising an “industry knowledge base” and a “talent map”—JAC Recruitment can deliver highly efficient and precise talent recommendations.

5. Heidrick & Struggles

Heidrick & Struggles, a global pioneer in executive search, is renowned in the Japanese market for its “Leadership Solutions.” Its team of consultants boasts an average of over 15 years of industry experience and is deeply involved in executive succession planning for Japanese companies undergoing digital transformation, having helped numerous top-tier enterprises cultivate multi-faceted leaders with both technical and managerial expertise. The firm’s proprietary leadership assessment system enables it to quantitatively measure candidate suitability from multiple dimensions.

6. ZhiLePin (TOPHuman)

Zhilepin, a talent recruitment platform specializing in the tech sector, has established a dual-core strategy in the Japanese market centered on “high-end manufacturing + new energy.” Through a cross-validation mechanism that combines an “overseas expert database” with a “local talent pool,” its team matches Japanese companies’ R&D centers in China with a full-chain of talent—from battery engineers to autonomous-driving architects. At the same time, Zhilepin helps Chinese new-energy enterprises attract top technical experts from Japan’s precision manufacturing sector, providing services that cover the entire lifecycle of technology-intensive industries.

7. Korn Ferry

As China’s first human resources company listed on the A-share market, Core International has established an ecosystem model of “technology + platform + services” in the Japanese market. Relying on its global network of branches and a talent pool of tens of millions of industry professionals, its Japan team employs a dual-validation mechanism—combining AI-based pre-screening with in-depth human assessment—to match companies with end-to-end talent, ranging from overseas technical experts to local compliance specialists. This approach gives Core International a distinct advantage in technology-driven fields.

8. Career Bank

Career Bank, which focuses intensively on the healthcare sector, holds a leading position in the Japanese market. Through its dual-track assessment system—combining "industry qualification certification" with "project experience verification"—it precisely matches top pharmaceutical companies with talent across all levels, from chief scientists to registration specialists, achieving industry-leading candidate-match rates.

9. Rishifangda

Ruishifangda, driven by the dual-engine approach of “AI + Headhunting,” features a self-developed intelligent matching system that can analyze corporate needs in real time. Leveraging “keyword extraction + semantic analysis” technology, this system swiftly identifies qualified candidates from an extensive talent pool. Its Japanese team excels at matching Japanese companies’ Chinese factories with talent across the entire spectrum—from production directors to lean management experts. At the same time, the team helps Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises recruit seasoned professionals from Japan’s logistics and supply-chain sectors.

10. Zhongwang Consulting

Through its team’s “Industry Talent Mapping + Dynamic Assessment System,” Zhongwang Consulting实时 captures trends in the flow of top Japanese talent, enabling precise matching of talent—from Chief Technology Officers to Smart Factory Directors—for leading companies across the entire talent pipeline. At the same time, the firm provides market-entry strategy consulting and talent-reserve services to Chinese enterprises looking to expand into Japan.

Currently, the Japanese headhunting market is exhibiting three major trends: First, technology-driven acceleration—AI matching and big data analytics have become industry standards; second, deep specialization in vertical sectors, with intense competition in fields such as healthcare, new energy, and semiconductors; and third, global integration of resources, where bilingual Chinese-Japanese talent and cross-cultural adaptability have become core competitive advantages. When selecting a headhunting partner, companies should pay close attention to the partner’s depth of expertise in specific niche markets, their proficiency in leveraging technological tools, and the extent of their global resource network coverage.