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Workers’ rights · 労働条件通知書 · rōdō jōken tsūchisho

Your employment contract in Japan: the notice of working conditions in English

When you are hired in Japan, you get a notice of working conditions (労働条件通知書) or an employment contract (雇用契約書, koyō keiyakusho). The main conditions must be given to you in writing — before you start work. What the document must contain, every field of the official model with its English label, the probationary period and the signs of a bad employer.

The form, field by field

Types of employment

Checked against Japanese law and the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Immigration Services Agency on October 7, 2026 · Rights and free help · Working hours

Groups of conditions you must get in writing6

Of a probationary period when you can be let go without notice14 days

Notice of dismissal after that30 days

Penalties and deposits an employer may charge you¥0

In short

The essentials of your contract

  • In writing — always: the contract term, the place and content of work, working hours and days off, wages, the rules on leaving and dismissal. A spoken promise does not replace the document.
  • For everyone: the rule covers regular, contract, dispatched and part-time staff, Japanese and foreign workers alike.
  • Since April 2024 the contract must say where and to what work you may be transferred, and a fixed-term contract must state any limit on renewals.
  • Conditions not as promised? You may cancel the contract at once.
  • Prohibited: penalties for leaving, deposits, forced savings with the employer.

What the employer must write down

The conditions you get in writing

The Labor Standards Act (Article 15) and its Enforcement Ordinance (Article 5) split the conditions into two groups.

In writing only

  • The contract term; for a fixed-term contract — whether it will be renewed, on what criteria, and whether there is a limit (a total period or a number of renewals). At a renewal after which the total passes 5 years — your right to apply for an open-ended contract and the conditions after the conversion.
  • The place of work and your duties — right after hiring, and the scope within which they can change.
  • Starting and finishing times, whether there will be overtime, breaks, days off, leave, shift work.
  • Wages: how they are calculated, the closing day and the pay day.
  • Leaving and dismissal, including the grounds for dismissal.
  • For part-time and fixed-term staff also: whether there are pay raises, retirement pay and bonuses, and whom to contact with questions.

Spoken or written — if the company has them

Pay raises, retirement pay, bonuses, costs you pay yourself (meals, tools), safety, training, compensation for injury, rewards and discipline, leave of absence (休職, kyūshoku).

Paper or email. The conditions are given on paper. If you ask, they can be sent by fax, email or another electronic form you can print. Shift work: the phrase “depends on shifts” (シフトによる) alone is not enough when the times are already known; agree how many days ahead the schedule is announced and the minimum number of days you will get.

Overtime is possible only under an Article 36 Agreement (36協定, saburoku kyōtei) filed with the Labor Standards Inspection Office. The limits and premiums: working hours and overtime.

The form, field by field

The notice of working conditions in English

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes a model notice (一般労働者用; 常用、有期雇用型 — for general workers, permanent and fixed-term). Most employers use it or something close. The English labels below are the ones printed on the ministry’s English version, “Notice of Employment”.

Field on the form What it means What to check
Contract period 契約期間 Non-fixed (期間の定めなし) — open-ended; Fixed (期間の定めあり) — from one date to another A fixed term is 3 years at most
Contract renewal 契約の更新の有無 Automatic renewal / Possible renewal / No renewal / Others “No renewal” means the job ends with the term
Renewal criteria 更新の判断基準 Workload at the end of the period, work performance and attitude, competence, the company’s business conditions, progress of the work The criteria should be clear
Renewal limit 更新上限の有無 No limit, or up to … renewals / a total period of up to … years Required for fixed-term contracts since 2024
Conversion to an indefinite-term contract 無期転換申込 Your right to apply for an open-ended contract, the date it would start, and whether the conditions change Appears once the total passes 5 years
Place of Employment 就業の場所 Immediately after hiring (雇入れ直後) and Scope of change (変更の範囲) Could you be moved to another city?
Job duties 従事すべき業務の内容 Immediately after hiring, and Scope of change For your visa, the work must match your status
Opening and closing time 始業・終業の時刻 Fixed times, or an irregular labor system / shifts (変形労働時間制), flex time (フレックスタイム制), deemed hours, discretionary work Exact times or the rules for shifts
Rest period 休憩時間 Break in minutes At least 45 minutes for a day over 6 hours, 60 minutes over 8
Presence of overtime work 所定時間外労働の有無 Yes / No “Yes” requires an Article 36 Agreement
Days off 休日 Regular days off (day of the week, national holidays), additional days off per week or month At least 1 day a week or 4 days in 4 weeks
Leave 休暇 Annual paid leave (年次有給休暇) after 6 months, substitute days off, other paid and unpaid leave How many days after 6 months
Basic pay 基本賃金 Monthly wage (月給), daily wage (日給), hourly wage (時間給), payment by job Not below the minimum wage of the prefecture
Allowances 諸手当 Each allowance with its amount or calculation method (commuting, housing, family, fixed overtime) Fixed overtime pay — with hours and amount
Additional pay rate 割増賃金率 Premiums for overtime, over 60 hours a month, holiday work and night work, in % At least 25%, 50%, 35% and 25%
Closing day of pay roll / Pay day 賃金締切日 / 賃金支払日 The day pay is calculated / the day it is paid At least once a month, on a fixed day
Method of wage payment 賃金の支払方法 Cash, bank transfer, pay app Transfer only with your consent
Deduction from wages in accordance with labor-management agreement 労使協定に基づく賃金支払時の控除 Deductions agreed with the workers (for example, union dues) Apart from taxes and insurance — only under such an agreement
Wage raise / Bonus / Retirement allowance 昇給 / 賞与 / 退職金 Yes (with timing and amount) / No Not required by law — what matters is what is written
Items concerning retirement 退職に関する事項 Retirement age (定年制), continued employment, procedure for retirement for personal reasons (how many days’ notice), reasons and procedure for dismissal (解雇の事由) For an open-ended contract the law needs only 2 weeks
Joining social insurance / Application of employment insurance 社会保険の加入状況 / 雇用保険の適用 Employees’ Pension Insurance (厚生年金), Health Insurance (健康保険), Employment Insurance (雇用保険) A full-time job at a company — all of them
Consultation office 雇用管理の改善等に関する相談窓口 Name of office, person in charge, phone number Whom to ask about your conditions
Where and how to check the work regulations 就業規則を確認できる場所 Where you can read the rules of employment (就業規則, shūgyō kisoku) Required at companies with 10 or more workers

At the bottom the form usually says that other conditions follow the company’s rules of employment. Ask to see them.

The model notice in your language. The ministry publishes the same form for foreign workers in 13 languages, each bilingual with Japanese, so you can lay it next to the document you were given: English · Vietnamese · Nepali · Indonesian · Tagalog · Myanmar · Chinese. Khmer, Korean, Mongolian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai versions are on the same site.

試用期間 · shiyō kikan

The probationary period

Its length is set in the contract or the rules of employment. The law has a special rule only for the first 14 days.

  1. October 1, 2026 — your first dayYou are on probation.
  2. Until October 14The first 14 days: dismissal without 30 days’ notice and without pay in lieu of notice is possible.
  3. From October 15The normal rules apply: 30 days’ notice, or average wages for the days of notice you do not get.
  4. Example: told on November 2 that you are dismissed on November 12That is 10 days — the employer must pay average wages for the missing 20 days.
  • Even on probation, a dismissal needs an objectively reasonable cause — otherwise it is void.
  • Expect on-the-job training in the first months: Japanese companies often teach newcomers from scratch, and the first year is about learning while you work.
  • If the conditions during probation are different (lower pay, for example), that must be in the written conditions too.

Warning signs

When to be careful

  • No written conditions, or they are promised “later”. That breaks the law.
  • Fixed overtime pay without hours. The job ad and the contract must show the base pay without it, the number of hours and the amount it covers — and overtime beyond those hours is paid on top.
  • The employer keeps your passport or residence card. The ministry’s guidelines for employers say not to hold foreign workers’ passports or residence cards.
  • A penalty for leaving, a deposit, “compulsory savings”, or an advance you must repay by working for the company and that is set off against your wages — prohibited by the Labor Standards Act (Articles 16–18). Any other deduction, such as a loan repayment, needs a written agreement with the workers.
  • Deductions without explanation. Only taxes, insurance and what a written labor-management agreement allows may be deducted from your pay.
  • An agency charges you a placement fee. Charging job seekers is prohibited, apart from rare exceptions (artists, models, highly paid managers and engineers).
  • The job does not match your visa: for example, shop work instead of translation. You risk losing your status.

If the conditions are not as stated, you may cancel the contract at once. If you moved for the job and go home within 14 days of canceling, the employer pays the travel. Free help in English: the Labour Standards Advice Hotline (労働条件相談ほっとライン) 0120-531-401, free, weekdays 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., weekends and holidays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Telephone Consultation Service for Foreign Workers 0570-001-701, weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m. (paid call). More: rights and free help.

Before you sign

Go through this list

  • You have the conditions in writing and understand every field — with the English model next to it if needed.
  • The work and place match what you discussed and your visa; the scope of transfers is stated.
  • For a fixed-term contract: the term, the renewal criteria and the renewal limit.
  • Base pay not below the prefecture’s minimum wage; allowances listed; fixed overtime pay with hours.
  • Working hours, breaks, days off, whether there is overtime.
  • Health Insurance, pension and Employment Insurance: marked “Yes”.
  • No penalties for leaving and no deposits; your passport stays with you.
  • Keep a copy of the conditions and the company rules: you will need them in a dispute and when you extend your period of stay.

The path to a contract

From job search to residence card

Getting hired in Japan is often harder than it looks. The order of steps for a foreign national:

  1. Choose your fieldWork out how your degree and experience match the job and which visa you can realistically get. Be clear about what you bring to a Japanese employer.
  2. Improve your JapaneseIT and rare specialties sometimes work in English; for office work aim for N2; for Specified Skilled Worker — JLPT N4 or the JFT-Basic plus a skills test.
  3. Resume and searchA Japanese resume (履歴書, rirekisho) and a career summary (職務経歴書, shokumu keirekisho). Replies can be few — don’t give up after the first refusals.
  4. Interview and offerAsk for the written conditions before you accept.
  5. ContractCheck the conditions against the list above and sign.
  6. VisaIf you are abroad, the employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書), then you get the visa at the embassy or consulate. If you are in Japan, you change your status.
  7. MovingHousing, insurance, a bank account, registering your address and your residence card (在留カード).

Many people come to study first: from inside Japan it is easier to go to interviews and change status. Start looking 6–12 months before you graduate. More: job search in Japan, Certificate of Eligibility, change of status.

Deadlines

Deadlines, and what happens if you miss them

What When If you miss it
Written conditions when you are hired, before work starts a breach of the law — go to the Labor Standards Inspection Office
Canceling if the conditions are not as stated at once; travel home is paid if you return within 14 days you do not have to work on worse conditions
Dismissal without notice on probation only the first 14 days after that — 30 days’ notice or pay
Resigning (open-ended contract) 2 weeks’ notice a longer period in company rules does not override this
Notification to immigration about the contract 14 days a fine of up to ¥200,000

Linked to your visa

What immigration looks for in your contract

Linked to your visa.

  • The work matches the status. For the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services status you need a degree in a related field, a related diploma from a Japanese vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakkō) or 10 years of experience in the field; for international services (translation, language teaching and similar) — 3 years of experience, which a degree replaces only for translation and language teaching. For IT jobs, the Japanese FE or AP exam can replace the degree.
  • Pay at least equal to a Japanese worker’s for the same job.
  • From April 15, 2026: if the job mainly uses a language in dealing with people (translation, interpreting, customer service, sales) and the company is in category 3 or 4, you need proof of level B2 (CEFR) in the language you will use at work — for Japanese, for example JLPT N2 or higher, or a BJT score of 400 or more.
  • A new contract or the end of the old one — notify immigration within 14 days.
  • You can show a new employer a Certificate of Authorized Employment (就労資格証明書), issued by immigration for a fee.

Engineer/Specialist visa · All work visas · Notifications

FAQ

Questions about employment contracts

Can’t find your question? Write to us — a real person replies.

Ask us a question

Is a notice of working conditions the same as an employment contract?

Not quite. The notice of working conditions (rōdō jōken tsūchisho) is the document the employer must give you with the main conditions; an employment contract (koyō keiyakusho) is signed by both sides. Many companies combine them in one document. Either way, the conditions listed by the Labor Standards Act must reach you in writing.

The law requires the conditions in writing, not in a specific language. The government guidelines ask employers to make an effort to explain them in a way the worker understands, such as their native language. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes the model notice in English and 12 other languages, bilingual with Japanese, so you can compare it field by field.

The Labor Standards Act sets no maximum; the length is written in your contract or the rules of employment. The law only says that in the first 14 days you can be dismissed without 30 days’ notice. After that the normal notice rules apply, and any dismissal still needs an objectively reasonable cause.

If the conditions you were given in writing turn out to be untrue, you may cancel the contract immediately. If you moved for the job and return home within 14 days of canceling, the employer must pay the travel. Keep the document and talk to a Labor Standards Inspection Office or the free foreign-worker hotlines.

No. The government guidelines for employers of foreign workers say employers should not keep workers’ passports or residence cards. You must carry your residence card yourself. If an employer refuses to return them, contact a Labor Bureau or the Immigration Services Agency.

In general, no. Licensed employment agencies in Japan may not charge job seekers placement fees, except in rare cases such as artists, models and highly paid managers and engineers. The employer pays the agency. Be careful with brokers abroad who ask for money for a job in Japan.

Yes, for most work statuses, including Engineer/Specialist and Specified Skilled Worker. File the Notification of the Contracting Organization within 14 days when a contract ends and again within 14 days when you sign a new one. You can file online. Not filing can mean a fine of up to ¥200,000.

Study → Find a job → Work → Taxes → PR or leave

From student to working in Japan — and where you are on the way

  1. Studylanguage school · part-time up to 28 h a week
  2. Find a jobresume, interviews, shūkatsu
  3. Workcontract, pay, your first 30 daysYou are here
  4. Taxestaxes, insurance and pension
  5. PR or leavea clean record for PR — or the pension refund

Sources

Where this information comes from

Rates, limits and deadlines on this page were checked against the official websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the prefectural labor bureaus and the Immigration Services Agency, and against the texts of the laws on October 7, 2026. Amounts are in Japanese yen. When a rule changes we update the page and the date above.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Your contract and your company’s rules of employment (就業規則) set your actual conditions; immigration decides on your status of residence. For a dispute, talk to the free labor consultation services or a Labor and Social Security Attorney (社会保険労務士, sharōshi).

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