Recruit Co., a Tokyo-based publishing company, intends to acquire Staff Service Holdings, according to news reports. Staff Service, also based in Tokyo, is one of the largest staffing companies in Japan. And it operates more than 90 offices around the world including in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, India, and Australia, according to the company. It began in 1981.

Recruit would pay 170 billion yen (US$1.50 billion) and would create the largest provider of employment services in Japan, according to Bloomberg.com.

Recruit has a number of publications and operates Web sites for recruiters.