The New Zealander had two seasons as a player at Tigers before joining the coaching staff, but is departing for a new challenge in the Far East.
“Working and living in Japan has always been an attraction for me and my wife, and I’m happy that it has come about,” said Herring.
"I’ve had a great time at Leicester, the club have been very good to me and I’ve learned a lot here.
“The first thing I learned when I came over was that I was expected to push a lot harder in the scrum than I had been used to!”
Herring scored five tries in 23 games for Tigers, starting the finals of both the EDF Energy Cup and Premiership in 2007/08, before joining the coaching team.
“Tigers was a great club to come into, there were so many down-to-earth fellas here,” he said.
“It was great to play in a pack with Martin Corry, he is a legend.
“The big games at Twickenham were very memorable, and playing at Welford Road, running through the crowd from the dressing rooms and on to the pitch, that was superb.
“I could not have asked for a better start in my coaching career, the structures and systems in place at Leicester are second to none. I’ve learned a lot from Cockers and Matt, and I’m indebted to them for the opportunity to work here.
“The prospect of working in Japan in a fantastic adventure and I’m always up for that, I’m looking forward to living and working there and learning the language.”
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Ben has been an important part of the coaching team in the last couple of seasons and we’d all like to wish him and his family well for the future.”
