Resignation agency services in Japan face decline and legal scrutiny

Approximately 27 percent of resignation agency service providers in Japan may have ceased operations over the past year, according to data from Teikoku Databank. Of the providers active as of October last year, 14 businesses could no longer be confirmed to be operating by September this year, with their service information removed from their websites.

This decline follows legal scrutiny of the industry. The former president of a major agency, Momuri, recently received a suspended sentence from the Tokyo District Court for violations of the Attorney Act. Teikoku Databank suggests that increased focus on the legal gray zones of these services has negatively impacted the industry's reputation.

Additionally, the market is experiencing intensified price competition. As major law firms enter the sector, the average service fee has decreased from 28,800 yen in 2025 to 27,600 yen this year.