Headhunters in japan:

You have few thousands companies in Japan providing human resource related services.

You have all the part-time staffing agencies (there are new laws in Japan and we can expect a big shuffle in this industry)

You have then the big headhunting companies, either foreign companies (I could name Robert Walters as a main player in Japan with around 200 staffs) or local ones (CDS, which is part of Recruit group now was a foreign based company which was acquired by Recruit group)

I work mainly with few of them and I put them in a competitive situation. Of course I inform them that I will be working with 2 or 3 more companies for any recruitment needs I have.

They typically charge you 35% of the first year salary for the recruitment fee.

It’s of course expensive but when you have a small structure you do not want to go over hundreds of resume. Also they can bring you the best peoples in the market.

If you want to get the best peoples, you need first to develop a relationship of trust with your headhunters:

Think long time relationship (I have been working with some of their consultants for more than 10 years). They know my family situation, I know their family situation.
Think give and take. You might share industry information with them and you might get many information about salaries trends, industry trends, …
Feel free to invite them to lunch. Often you will be invited too.
Explain clearly your short-term and long-term business plans. They need to be involved in the long-term development of your company. They might find at some time a good candidate which might match your future requirements.
Be fair and honest: If you work with other companies for recruitment, let them know.

I mainly work with Robert Walters and CDS. They are the best in their categories as they have also consultants with backgrounds related to your field.