🇯🇵 Japan · Employment & Labor
Hiring rules, employment contracts, payroll, social insurance, and EOR options.
Quick answer
Japanese employment is governed by the Labour Standards Act: prefectural minimum wages, capped overtime (via a '36 Agreement'), and paid annual leave from 10 days after six months. Dismissal is difficult and must be objectively reasonable; workplaces with 10+ staff need written work rules. The Labour Standards Inspection Office enforces the law.
Employment is governed by the Labour Standards Act and related laws, administered by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). Written conditions and social-insurance enrolment are required.
- Statutory working hours are 8 per day and 40 per week, with overtime rules under the Labour Standards Act.
- Employers must provide written working conditions at hiring.
- Employers enrol staff in health insurance, pension and labour insurance.
Step-by-step
- 1
Get your contract and work rules
You should receive written notice of working conditions; workplaces with 10 or more employees must have work rules (shūgyō kisoku) covering hours, pay and leave.
- 2
Know your pay and hours rights
You must receive at least the prefectural minimum wage; statutory hours are 8 per day / 40 per week, and overtime needs a labour-management '36 Agreement' with premium pay.
- 3
Understand paid-leave entitlements
You accrue paid annual leave from 10 days after six months' service, rising with tenure, and employers must ensure you take at least five days.
- 4
Enrol in insurance and pension
You are enrolled in health insurance, employees' pension, and employment and workers' accident insurance.
- 5
Know the dismissal rules
Dismissal must be objectively reasonable and socially acceptable, with 30 days’ notice or pay in lieu; abrupt firing is often invalid.
- 6
Resolve disputes with the Labour Bureau
Consult the Labour Standards Inspection Office or the prefectural labour bureau's dispute-resolution service.
Checklist
- Written working-conditions notice + work rules (10+ staff)
- Prefectural minimum wage
- 8h/day, 40h/week + 36 Agreement for overtime
- Paid annual leave (10 days after 6 months; 5-day take rule)
- Health/pension/employment/accident insurance
- Objectively-reasonable dismissal + 30 days' notice
- Anti-harassment / equal-treatment rules
- Dispute route (Labour Standards Inspection Office / labour bureau)
Official authorities
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
Labour standards and social insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hard to be dismissed in Japan?
Yes — dismissal must be objectively reasonable and socially acceptable; unreasonable dismissals are frequently ruled invalid.
What is a 36 Agreement?
A labour-management agreement (under Article 36) that a workplace must file to allow overtime beyond statutory hours.
How much paid leave do I get?
You accrue at least 10 days of paid annual leave after six months, increasing with years of service.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- Prime Minister's Office of Japan — Official site of Japan's Prime Minister — cabinet policies, press conferences, policy statements
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Japan visa applications, overseas safety info, consular services, and diplomatic policy
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Residence status, work visas, permanent residency, and naturalization in Japan
- National Tax Agency (Japan) — Income tax, corporate tax, consumption tax filing and e-Tax online submission