💴 Ikusei Shurou Plan Fees: Guidance Published

❓ What was published?

Ahead of the start of Ikusei Shurou (training-employment), the system that replaces Technical Intern Training, the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) has posted guidance titled "Application for approval of an Ikusei Shurou plan (including fees)". A company that accepts foreign workers under Ikusei Shurou must draw up a plan for each worker and have OTIT approve it. That approval application carries a fee, which must be paid through a prescribed route as part of the procedure, and the new guidance sets out how the payment and the application steps fit together. OTIT's site now lists separate pages for "how to pay Ikusei Shurou application fees", "how to pay the plan approval fee" and "how to pay the investigation fee for supervising and supporting organisations". The page for applications filed before the system takes effect — "Ikusei Shurou plan approval: applications before the enforcement date" — was updated on 8 September 2026, and OTIT announced that guidance on Pay-easy payment would be posted on 1 September. OTIT also handled plan approval under Technical Intern Training, but because the framework changes (supervising organisations become supervising and supporting organisations, among other things), the types of fees and the payment routes need to be checked afresh.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Companies planning to accept foreign workers under Ikusei Shurou
• ●Foreign nationals scheduled to come to Japan when the system starts
• ●Organisations seeking approval as a supervising and supporting organisation (separate investigation fee)
• ●Current technical intern trainees and their employers weighing the move to Ikusei Shurou

🌏 What it means for foreign residents

It is the receiving company, not the worker, that applies to OTIT for approval of an Ikusei Shurou plan and pays the fee. Even so, plan approval is a precondition for accepting a worker, so delays in the company's application or payment translate directly into a later arrival in Japan and a later start at work. If you already have a job offer or are working with a sending organisation, ask the company or the organisation when the approval application will be filed and whether they are using the pre-enforcement-date route — that gives you a realistic timeline. If you or your family are asked to send money personally for an "approval fee" or "application cost", do not pay before checking with OTIT's native-language consultation desk, which handles enquiries in ten languages including English, Chinese and Vietnamese, alongside an SOS and emergency line for trainees.