Meet Japan’s ‘resignation agent’ — a $147 service rescuing workers from unhealthy HR drama

Shinji Tanimoto reportedly runs a resignation agency called "Momuri" in Japan that helps workers quit their jobs. Translating to "I can't do this anymore" or "enough already," the company points to a concerning mental health landscape among young workers. The Japanese work culture is apparently a blank slate agreement where recruiters have 100% authority over their workers. It involves assigning new recruits to broad and vague titles, allowing higher-ups to control all personnel decisions. In fact, leaving a company is seen as betrayal, Ryo Nitta, Director of the Work Style Innovation Research Institute, told CNA Insider (@cnainsider on YouTube). To avoid the shame that comes with resignation, Japanese workers turn to Tanimoto's company to negotiate with their recruiters. 

Workers who want to quit their jobs pay $147 to Momuri to get help from the resignation agency. A consultant from Momuri contacts the client's company on their behalf to handle the resignation process. The consultant talks to the clients and tries to understand why they approached them, to plan for their exit accordingly. So far, the agency has a 100% success rate, according to a report on March 23, 2025. Quitting a job in Japan is more difficult than it sounds. In fact, Japanese workers go through verbal abuse when they mention leaving their companies. "We had a client who said they were about to collapse from anemia, and the boss said, 'You should lick a frying pan,' which seemed to refer to iron, which was a very inappropriate remark. This verbal abuse really stuck with the person, and that's why they decided to quit," Tanimoto recalled. 

Momuri, the resignation company, receives 1,800 requests every month, and most clients cite unpaid overtime and not being granted paid leave as reasons to quit. What's shocking is that Japanese companies even threaten their workers with death when they talk about leaving their companies. "I think that right now in Japan, people believe in working really hard. So, I hope that the work styles that prioritize ease of working and one's private life will become more widespread," Tanimoto explained. Moving on, he said, if his company continues to support people wanting to exit toxic companies, the toxic work culture in Japan will soon become a thing of the past. "I believe it's not ideal that someone can't resign on their own or has to rely on others for help to quit. So, a world where resignation agents are no longer needed would be the right one," he added. The Mainichi found, "Such resignation requests have tended to increase after long holiday periods such as 'Golden Week' from late April to early May."

This trend, known as "proxy resignation" or taishoku daiko in Japanese, highlights the significant discomfort employees are facing with the current corporate system. There has been a significant rise in resignation agencies in Japan, and an October 2024 report by Mynavi unveiled the shocking reason behind it. In the survey of 800 respondents, the top reasons (40.7%) for turning to a resignation agency were that employers tried to prevent employees from resigning, and 32.4% said they weren't in an environment where they could openly confess that they wanted to quit. Moreover, workers also find themselves in extremely insensitive work environments where their supervisors or colleagues discriminate based on their appearance. 

Meanwhile, reacting to Japan's work culture and its resignation agency, @mary-cg1sl commented, "The fact that employees have to hire someone so they can avoid verbal, mental, or maybe even physical abuse just to find another job is absolutely ridiculous." Similarly, @canarytea7094 shared, "I like how the founder said that he hopes his services will no longer be required one day, because that would be the best-case scenario and make the world a better place. However, it's not the case for the Japanese working culture right now, so he will still continue to offer these services and help people until the demand stops." @aleksandrapietrucień-herin-g3s wrote, "Honestly, it's a brilliant idea, and I absolutely understand it. I actually have been in a similar situation; quitting a job isn't easy."

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