rYojbaba Expands Partnership with China Zhongqing International Holdings to Implement Free Labor Union Program for Japan’s Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker Programs

Rhea-AI Summary

rYojbaba (Nasdaq: RYOJ) expanded its partnership with China Zhongqing International on Oct 22, 2025 to deploy the Company's Free Labor Union Program for Japan’s Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker programs.

The agreement designates Zhongqing International to oversee foreign-worker deployment while rYojbaba handles reception, welfare, and protection, including pre-employment enrollment, multilingual consultation channels, contract and housing oversight, and on-site legal and medical interventions for harassment, overwork, or wage non-payment.

The partners say the program aims to set international standards for safe labor supply chains, integrate ESG worker protections, and expand the free model beyond Japan.

Insights

Labor policy and worker-protection analyst

Partnership creates an operational model to protect foreign workers in Japan’s technical and skilled programs.

The agreement pairs rYojbaba with Zhongqing International to enroll foreign workers in a pre-arrival Free Labor Union Program that covers contracts, housing, and multilingual complaint channels. The described mechanism moves intervention earlier in the worker lifecycle and centralizes welfare, legal, and medical support after placement, which could reduce on-site abuses and improve case resolution speed.

Key dependencies and risks include the program’s reliance on effective cross-border coordination, the partner’s operational control of worker deployment, and acceptance by employers and regulators in Japan. Success requires clear data on enrollment coverage, complaint-resolution timelines, and legally binding employer commitments; those metrics are not provided in the announcement.

Watch for concrete rollout metrics over the next 6–12 months, specifically the number of workers enrolled, the formal agreements with Japanese host employers, and any regulatory endorsements or monitoring mechanisms established by Oct. 22, 2025.

Corporate strategy and commercial impact analyst

This expands rYojbaba’s service scope and may create long-term client engagement but offers no immediate financial figures.

The partnership leverages rYojbaba’s labor consulting to add a free protection layer that could increase client stickiness and open channels for paid advisory services. By positioning the Free Labor Union as a compliance and ESG-alignment product, the company can link social-impact services with its core consulting pipeline.

Commercial value depends on conversion of free services into paid engagements, scalability beyond the initial China-Japan corridor, and acceptance by corporate clients that currently source workers. The release contains no revenue, pricing, or contract-extent data, so near-term financial impact remains indeterminate.

Track commercialization indicators over the next 12 months: number of employer contracts referencing the program, any paid follow-on services, and expansion announcements beyond the initial partner and market.

FUKUOKA, Japan, Oct. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- rYojbaba Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: RYOJ) (“rYojbaba” or the “Company”), a Japanese labor consulting and health services company, announced a strategic partnership with China Zhongqing International Holdings Co., Ltd. (“Zhongqing International”) to implement the Company’s Free Labor Union Program for Japan’s Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker Programs.

Japan’s Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker programs were originally designed to bring foreign workers into Japan, allowing them to develop technical skills while addressing the country’s labor needs in essential industries. However, in practice, certain participating companies in the program have been criticized for imposing long working hours, unfair oversight, and human-rights violations. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of technical trainees under the program have gone missing, with some later found engaged in illegal employment or other social challenges; now seen as a stark reflection of systematic strain within the nation’s system.

Recognizing these deep-rooted issues, rYojbaba and Zhongqing International originally partnered in December 2024 to establish a model for ethical and safe cross-border employment by connecting Japanese institutions with licensed overseas employment agencies, beginning with China. Expanding on this partnership, on October 22, 2025, both parties have entered into a new agreement centered around establishing a new global benchmark for foreign labor infrastructure through the Free Labor Union Program that:

• Establish international standards for safe and transparent labor supply chains
• Integrate ESG management with worker protection
• Present a private-sector model that complements and strengthens national labor frameworks
  

Zhongqing International is an affiliate of Poly Group, a conglomerate engaged in energy, infrastructure, education, and international human-resource development. Under this framework, Zhongqing International will oversee the deployment of foreign workers and rYojbaba will assume responsibility for their reception, welfare, and protection under Japan’s Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker Programs.

The partnership is grounded in a mutual commitment to advancing ethical mobility, fostering responsible and humane movement of foreign workers across borders and forming an international labor safety network. In the pre-employment phase, all foreign workers will be enrolled in the Company’s Free Labor Union Program before arriving in Japan, which covers the handling of employment contracts, housing conditions, and ensures that consultation channels are transparently disclosed and accessible in multiple languages. Once employed, in cases of workplace harassment, overwork, or wage non-payment, the Company will intervene immediately and provide legal and medical support.

The Company aims to further expand cross-border collaborations with Zhongqing International and other international partners to accelerate the implementation of the Free Labor Union Program beyond Japan into new international markets that struggle with similar societal foreign labor issues. By offering a free program that promotes a transparent and trusted labor-protection framework, the Company aims to leverage strong synergies with its core labor consulting business to create potential future opportunities, expand its services, and deepen client engagement over time.

“This initiative is more than a human-resource program; it represents a social-impact model in which rYojbaba complements nationwide ESG goals to solve global labor challenges,” said rYojbaba CEO Ryoji Baba. “The widespread mistreatment of foreign workers in Japan has long been a societal challenge without an effective solution. Our Free Labor Union Program directly addresses this issue by providing comprehensive support to foreign workers throughout both the pre- and post-employment process. Our overarching goal is to implement this free model on a global scale by not only deepening our partnership with Zhongqing International but also forging new partnerships in new markets to promote a trusted labor-protection system internationally. Drawing on our proven experience from our labor consulting business, we believe companies like ours have a responsibility to tackle labor and human rights that governments alone can no longer resolve. Our approach remains grounded in a dual pursuit of addressing societal challenges while generating sustainable, long-term returns for our shareholders.”

About rYojbaba Co., Ltd.
rYojbaba operates a labor consulting and health services business. The labor consulting business provides strategic consulting services for both Japanese companies and labor unions, with the underlying goal to bridge the gap between Japan’s labor culture issues and the lack of solutions for work-related dissatisfactions. rYojbaba also operates 28 osteopathic clinics and 2 beauty salons across Japan within its health services business, primarily offering judo theory, a form of osteopathic medicine practiced in Japan. To learn more, visit https://www.ryojbaba.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the current views, expectations, and assumptions of the Company regarding future events, including but not limited to the Company’s plans, strategies, goals, prospects, and the anticipated benefits of its partnership with China Zhongqing International Holdings Co., Ltd., the expansion of the Free Labor Union Program, and the potential impact of such initiatives on the Company’s operations and markets.

Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, as they are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: the Company’s ability to successfully implement or scale the Free Labor Union Program; obtain and maintain necessary governmental or regulatory approvals; effectively manage international partnerships and cross-border operations; respond to changes in laws and regulations relating to labor, immigration, or data protection; maintain adequate financial and operational resources; and manage the effects of macroeconomic, geopolitical, and social factors that may impact the demand for the Company’s services or its strategic relationships. The Company encourages investors to read the risk factors contained in the Company’s final prospectus and other reports it files with the SEC before making any investment decisions regarding the Company’s securities. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

Investor Relations
John Yi and Steven Shinmachi
Gateway Group, Inc.
949-574-3860
RYOJ@gateway-grp.com

FAQ

What did rYojbaba (RYOJ) announce on Oct 22, 2025 about its partnership?

rYojbaba and Zhongqing International signed a new agreement on Oct 22, 2025 to implement the Free Labor Union Program for Japan’s foreign-worker programs.

How will the Free Labor Union Program affect RYOJ’s role in Japan’s Technical Intern Training program?

rYojbaba will manage reception, welfare, protection, pre-employment enrollment, multilingual consultation channels, and provide legal and medical support when needed.

What responsibilities will Zhongqing International have under the RYOJ partnership?

Zhongqing International will oversee the deployment of foreign workers to Japan as part of the partnership framework.

Does the RYOJ announcement include financial terms or revenue guidance for shareholders?

The announcement does not disclose any financial terms, transaction values, or revenue guidance.

Will rYojbaba expand the Free Labor Union Program beyond Japan under the new agreement?

Yes; rYojbaba intends to accelerate implementation with Zhongqing International and other partners to expand the program into new international markets.