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In the Employment for Skill Development (ESD; Japanese: Ikusei Shuro) Program, which begins on April 1, 2027, “Supervising and Support Organizations” will replace the “Supervising Organizations” of the Technical Intern Training Program. They will be responsible for supervising accepting companies (ESD implementers) and supporting and protecting foreign nationals. Supervising Organizations will not automatically transition; they will need to obtain new permission from the competent minister. The requirements have become stricter than those for Technical Intern Training, including the establishment of external auditors and the frequency of audits. This article, based on the official Q&A and program overview materials from the Immigration Services Agency and guidance from the Organization for Technical Intern Training, clarifies the role of Supervising and Support Organizations, their differences from Supervising Organizations, and points that accepting companies in Miyazaki Prefecture should confirm when deciding “which Supervising and Support Organization to partner with.” For an overall explanation of the program, please refer to the related article: “What is the ESD Program? Explaining the differences from Technical Intern Training, starting April 2027.”
Here are the key points:
💡 In short: Supervising and Support Organizations are not just a “rebranding of Supervising Organizations.” From the perspective of accepting companies, it is practical to view this as an increase in “confirmable items” such as whether the partner has permission, whether there are external auditors, and whether fees are published.
The official Q&A of the Immigration Services Agency (Q31) explains the role of Supervising and Support Organizations as “obtaining permission from the competent minister to engage in international matching, supervision and guidance for accepting organizations (ESD implementers), and support and protection for ESD foreign nationals.” This positions them as inheriting the functions previously carried out by Supervising Organizations for Technical Intern Training, while strengthening the functions of supervision, support, and protection through revised permission requirements.
Regarding the employment transfer at the individual’s discretion newly permitted under the ESD Program, Supervising and Support Organizations will also play a role in coordinating with relevant organizations when a request for transfer is made (Q31).
ESD has two categories: Supervised Type ESD, which involves a Supervising and Support Organization, and Independent Type ESD, which allows acceptance of employees from foreign branches or subsidiaries without going through a Supervising and Support Organization (Q25).
| Acceptance Type | Involvement of Supervising and Support Organization | Foreign Nationals Accepted (Official Q&A Q25・Q26) |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised Type ESD | Yes | General acceptance. Also includes employees of foreign business partners (Independent Type is not applicable). |
| Independent Type ESD | No | Employees of foreign branches or subsidiaries, etc., consistent with the purpose of 3 years of human resource development. |
Most small and medium-sized enterprises in Miyazaki Prefecture will fall under the “Supervised Type” unless they have overseas branches or subsidiaries. This means that which Supervising and Support Organization they partner with directly impacts their acceptance system.
The official Q&A (Q33) lists the following four new organizational requirements for Supervising and Support Organizations, in addition to the permission standards for Supervising Organizations:
| Newly Established Requirements | Content |
|---|---|
| Establishment of External Auditors | Establish a system where qualified individuals not closely related to the Supervising and Support Organization audit the execution of duties by officers. |
| Financial Soundness | No insolvency. |
| Number of Subordinate Accepting Companies | Principle of two or more accepting companies under supervisory support. |
| Number of Full-time Officers and Employees | Two or more full-time officers and employees engaged in supervisory support business, and their number must exceed both “number of accepting companies ÷ 8” and “number of ESD foreign nationals ÷ 40.” |
Fourth, in other words, the ratio is fewer than 8 accepting companies and fewer than 40 ESD foreign nationals per full-time officer or employee (System Overview Document). As the number of affiliated companies and foreign nationals increases, the number of employees must also increase, so the system is designed to prevent “managing many companies with a small number of staff.”
In addition, the System Overview Document also states that the ability to provide consultation in the native language and the ability to handle emergencies from the perspective of protecting foreign nationals are also required for permission.
Supervising and Support Organizations appoint a Supervisory Support Manager from among their full-time officers and employees at each office. Officers and employees of accepting companies that receive supervisory support cannot be managers, and managers must have completed the training course within the past three years (System Overview Document).
Even with a Supervising Organization permit, ESD foreign nationals cannot be accepted. The Supervising and Support Organization permit is a “separate permit.”
The most distinctive requirement for a Supervising and Support Organization permit is the External Auditor. The official Q&A (Q35) lists the following requirements for becoming an External Auditor:
From the perspective of the accepting company, the external auditor system means that “an expert with no conflict of interest with the company regularly inspects the operations of the Supervising and Support Organization it partners with.” The ability to confirm whether an external auditor is in place and what kind of person they are when choosing a Supervising and Support Organization is a new factor for consideration that was not available during Technical Intern Training.
It should be noted that for the time being after enforcement, the training course is expected to be replaced by the Technical Intern Training System’s training course (System Overview Document).
The “Standards for Supervising and Support Organizations” in the System Overview Document specifically outlines the content of supervisory support that Supervising and Support Organizations provide to accepting companies.
Accepting companies also have corresponding requirements. The official Q&A (Q39) lists new requirements for accepting companies, such as not receiving money, goods, or entertainment from sending organizations that exceed what is considered socially acceptable, complying with labor, social insurance, and tax laws, explaining terms of employment directly or online when concluding employment contracts, and joining the council for each acceptance field.
Furthermore, the cost of necessary Japanese language training for ESD foreign nationals is to be covered by the accepting company or the Supervising and Support Organization, including necessary measures (Q65). It is important to confirm who will bear how much of the cost before contracting with a Supervising and Support Organization. For more details, please refer to the related article “ESD Japanese Language Training | Provision Status of 322 Organizations Nationwide.”
The above requirements can be translated into a checklist for accepting companies as follows. This does not indicate the superiority or inferiority of specific organizations, but rather “what can be confirmed” based on official permission standards and disclosure obligations.
As explained in the related article “ESD Acceptance Quota | Miyazaki is a “Designated Area” with up to Triple the Quota,” for excellent accepting companies in designated areas (the entire Miyazaki Prefecture is included) that receive supervisory support from an excellent Supervising and Support Organization, the acceptance quota will be three times the basic quota (Q36, Q41).
However, the leaflet from the Organization for Technical Intern Training clearly states that the certification of excellent Supervising and Support Organizations will be evaluated based on the status of operations conducted for a certain period after the system’s enforcement, and therefore, applications filed before the enforcement date and immediately after enforcement will not be accepted. This means that as of the system’s launch in April 2027, “excellent Supervising and Support Organizations” will not yet exist, and recruitment plans based on the triple quota cannot be made. Specific criteria for excellent certification are expected to be outlined in future operational guidelines (Q37).
| Period | Event | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | Acceptance of pre-enforcement date applications for Supervising and Support Organization permits begins | Organization Leaflet |
| September 1, 2026 | Acceptance of pre-enforcement date applications for ESD Plan certification begins | Official Q&A Q3 |
| September 30, 2026 | Target date for applications for those wishing to conduct supervisory support business early after the enforcement date (does not guarantee permission) / Target date for new permit applications for Technical Intern Training Supervising Organizations | Organization Leaflet |
| March 31, 2027 | Acceptance of pre-enforcement date applications for Supervising and Support Organizations ends | Organization Leaflet |
| April 1, 2027 | Enforcement of the ESD system. Acceptance of ESD foreign nationals becomes possible | Official Q&A Q7 |
| June 30, 2027 | Technical Intern Trainees who start Technical Intern Training by this date (plan certification applied by March 31) can continue Technical Intern Training under transitional measures | Official Q&A Q46 |
Furthermore, if a Supervising and Support Organization has received permission, it is deemed to have received permission for general supervisory business under the Technical Intern Training system. Therefore, there is no need to separately renew the Supervising Organization’s permit while continuing to accept Technical Intern Trainees under transitional measures (Q38). Practical considerations for pre-enforcement date applications are covered in the related article “ESD Plan Pre-filing | Acceptance Begins September 1.” If you are a supervising organization and want to check whether you meet the licensing requirements, the required documents and the fees, please use our Supervising and Support Organization Navigator (free, step-by-step questions, Japanese only).
For foreign nationals coming to Japan under ESD, the Supervising and Support Organization serves as a “consultation point for difficulties” and a liaison for those wishing to transfer employment.
A Supervising and Support Organization is an organization that meets requirements verifiable by the accepting company, such as a permit from the competent minister, the establishment of an external auditor, and the public disclosure of supervisory support fees. When transitioning from Technical Intern Training, we recommend confirming early on “whether the current Supervising Organization will obtain a Supervising and Support Organization permit,” “who the external auditor is,” and “how much the fees are publicly disclosed to be,” and then formulating an acceptance plan that looks ahead to the enforcement in April 2027 and subsequent excellent certification.
Our office provides consultations to both foreign nationals and accepting companies, based on the latest system trends.
Please feel free to use our free consultation service first.
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This article is based on publicly available information as of September 2026. The certification standards for excellent Supervising and Support Organizations and additional standards for each field are expected to be outlined in future operational guidelines, and the details of the system may change. For actual procedures, please refer to the official information from the Immigration Services Agency and the Organization for Technical Intern Training, or contact our office.
Author of this article: Administrative Scrivener Authorized to File Applications, Satoshi Nakayama
Representative, Administrative Scrivener Corporation Miyazaki International Legal Office
Location: Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture
