🤝 Workplace Know-How
Labor Union, Labor Standards Inspection Office, Union — Where Do You Go With What?
When you're in trouble, there's more than one place to turn. A map of where to seek help
📖 8 min read📅 2026-09-28
His overtime pay wasn't being paid. But where could he go for help? — He didn't know there were places he could rely on, both inside and outside the company.
Paulo (30), from Curitiba in Brazil, had worked at an auto-parts factory for two years. At a certain point, even when he worked overtime, only part of his overtime pay was being paid. When he compared his time card and pay statement, it was clearly short.
When he asked a coworker, he was told, "You just have to put up with it." But Paulo wondered whether things should really stay this way. He didn't have the courage to speak to the company directly. He wasn't confident negotiating in Japanese either. He had no idea who or where to turn to.
One day, at the city's consultation desk for foreigners, he was told: "For labor problems, there are several places you can consult. The Labor Standards Inspection Office, labor unions, outside unions — each has a different role. In your case, the Labor Standards Inspection Office might be the best place to start."
Paulo hadn't known that in Japan there are multiple "places to seek help" to protect workers — both inside and outside the company. And that each one is good at something different.
When you're in trouble, where should you go for help? We've organized the main places to consult about labor problems, by their role.
"Labor union," "Labor Standards Inspection Office," "outside union (joint labor union)" — the names sound similar, but their roles differ. So you can choose the place that fits your concern, let's compare the three differences.
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Labor Standards Inspection Office
🌐
Outside Union (Joint Labor Union)
What is it?
A national (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) body. It enforces against violations of laws such as the Labor Standards Act
An organization of that company's workers, existing within each company
A labor union you can join as an individual, beyond the bounds of any single company
What it's good at
Handling "legal violations" such as unpaid overtime, illegal long working hours, and work-related accidents
Collective bargaining with the company, improving working conditions, and making workplace rules
For people whose company has no union — you can join even alone and negotiate with the company
Conditions to consult / join
Anyone can consult for free and anonymously (foreigners included)
You must be an employee of that company (many companies don't have one)
You can join even alone (OK even if your company has no union)
Will the company find out?
Anonymous consultation is possible. They can investigate without revealing the reporter to the company
Being a union member is basically shared within the workplace
Joining is reported to the company, but unfavorable treatment is prohibited by law
Cost
Free
Union dues (often deducted from salary)
Union dues (typically several hundred to a few thousand yen a month)
Support for foreigners
Multilingual consultation lines available (phone interpretation)
Varies by company and union
Some unions specialize in supporting foreign workers
💡 What you should know
The first thing to remember is that these are not "pick just one" — you can use them in combination. For example, for "unpaid overtime," you can consult the Labor Standards Inspection Office first to have them act on it as a legal violation, and if negotiation with the company is needed, you can also join an outside union. No matter where you consult, dismissing, cutting the pay of, or otherwise treating you unfavorably on the grounds that you consulted is prohibited by law.
🎯 Which case is yours?
My overtime pay isn't being paid / I'm made to do unpaid overtime
→ Go to the Labor Standards Inspection Office first. Unpaid wages are a legal violation, so you can consult for free and anonymously bringing your evidence (time card, pay statement).
My company has no labor union and I want to negotiate better treatment on my own
→ Go to an outside union (joint labor union). You can join even alone and request collective bargaining with the company. There are also unions specializing in foreigners.
I'm not sure what the problem is / I just want someone to listen first
→ Go to the General Labor Consultation Corner (at each prefectural Labor Bureau) or your municipality's consultation desk for foreigners. They offer multilingual support and will also guide you to the right place to consult.
All labor consultations are free. Don't convince yourself that "I'm the only one putting up with this" — start by having someone listen to your story. Keeping evidence (records of working hours, pay statements, notes of exchanges) will make the conversation go smoothly at any of these consultation points.
