Japanese work glossary (151 terms with audio)

An employee on an open-ended (no fixed term), full-time contract. It usually comes with bonuses, pay raises and full social insurance; you can resign by giving 2 weeks’ notice.

An employee on a fixed-term contract that gets renewed. If your fixed-term contracts with the same employer add up to more than 5 years, you can ask for an open-ended contract.

Your employer is a staffing agency (派遣元, hakenmoto), but you work at another company (派遣先, hakensaki). The agency handles your contract, pay and insurance.

Work with shorter days or weeks, usually paid by the hour. Labor law applies in full: you get paid leave, and social insurance if you work enough hours.

Temporary work paid by the hour. Students and spouses on Dependent status (家族滞在) need part-time work permission (資格外活動許可) before their first day of work.

You are a contractor, not an employee: rules on overtime, leave and dismissal do not apply, and you pay your own taxes and insurance. On a work visa this kind of contract is not always allowed, so check in advance.

The agreement between you and your employer. The contract itself can be verbal, but the employer must give you the main terms in writing, in the notice of working conditions (労働条件通知書).

The document you receive when you are hired: contract term, place and content of work, hours, days off, pay and dismissal rules. Since April 2024 it must also state where you may be transferred.

A trial period after hiring. Labor law applies during it too; after 14 days of work you can only be dismissed with 30 days’ notice or pay for those days.

Company rules on hours, leave, pay and discipline. A company with 10 or more employees must write them and file them with the Labor Standards Inspection Office; you have the right to read them.

A right of workers on fixed-term contracts: if your contracts with one employer add up to more than 5 years, your contract becomes open-ended at your request.

The employer does not renew your fixed-term contract. If the contract has been renewed 3 or more times or you have worked there for more than a year, the employer must tell you 30 days in advance.

Someone who works for themselves without a company. You file a notice of business opening (開業届) with the tax office, file your own tax return and pay National Health Insurance and National Pension yourself. You need a status of residence that allows it.

By law, no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, not counting breaks. Work beyond this is only allowed under an Article 36 Agreement (36協定) and with extra pay.

Work beyond your scheduled hours. Work beyond 8 hours a day or 40 a week is paid at least 25% extra, and overtime beyond 60 hours a month at least 50% extra.

A written agreement between the company and its workers under Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act, filed with the Labor Standards Inspection Office. Without it, overtime is illegal; the normal limit is 45 hours a month and 360 a year.

If your workday is longer than 6 hours, you get a break of at least 45 minutes; longer than 8 hours, at least 1 hour. Breaks are unpaid, and your time is your own.

The day off the law guarantees: at least one a week, or four in four weeks. Work on this day is paid at least 35% extra.

At work, a day off swapped with a workday in advance, so there is no day-off premium for working the original day. On the calendar, the same word means the substitute holiday when a national holiday falls on a Sunday.

A day off given after you have already worked on a day off. Unlike 振替休日 (furikae kyūjitsu), you still get the premium for working on a statutory day off.

Work between 22:00 and 5:00 (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) is paid at least 25% extra. Everyone gets it, including part-timers and managers.

Part of your salary that already includes a set number of overtime hours. Job ads must show the base pay without it, the number of hours and the amount; overtime beyond those hours is paid separately.

Overtime that is not recorded or paid. It is illegal: keep your own record of your hours as evidence for the Labor Standards Inspection Office.

A genuine manager is not paid for overtime or work on days off. What counts is real authority and pay, not a “manager” title on a business card; the late-night premium and paid leave still apply.

After 6 months of work with at least 80% attendance you get 10 days, and more later. Your employer must make sure you take 5 days a year; unused days carry over to the next year and expire after 2 years. Short form: 有給 (yūkyū).

Leave until your child turns 1; if no daycare place is available, up to 1.5 and then 2 years. Both parents can take it. During the leave, Employment Insurance pays a benefit.

Up to 6 weeks before the birth (14 for twins) if you ask for it, and 8 weeks after the birth. You cannot be dismissed during this time or for 30 days after; your income comes from the childbirth allowance (出産手当金).

Up to 93 days for each family member who needs care, which can be split into 3 parts. Separately there are short-term caregiver leave days (介護休暇, kaigo kyūka): 5 a year, or 10 if two or more family members need care.

If there is no work because of the employer (no orders, the shop is closed), the employer must pay you at least 60% of your average wage.

The statement you get with every payday: hours worked, earnings, deductions and the amount paid. Check it every month.

The amount before deductions: base pay, allowances and overtime. When people talk about salary, they usually mean this figure, not take-home pay.

The bottom line of the payslip: gross pay minus contributions, taxes and other deductions. This is the amount transferred to your bank account.

What is left of your gross pay after health insurance and pension contributions, income tax and resident tax. Use the calculator to work out the exact amount for your salary.

The core part of your pay, without allowances or overtime. Bonuses and severance pay are often calculated from it, so it matters, not just the total.

Reimbursement for your commute. Up to a limit it is exempt from income tax, but it is included in the amount used to calculate health insurance and pension contributions.

On a payslip, everything taken out of your pay: contributions, taxes, housing. In taxes, a deduction that lowers your taxable income.

A payment on top of salary, usually in summer and winter. The law does not require it; it depends on your contract and company rules. Contributions and tax are deducted from bonuses too.

Pay per hour of work, common for part-time jobs. It cannot be lower than the minimum wage in your prefecture.

Usually the total gross pay for the year, including bonuses. For taxes another number matters more: income after the deduction for employment income (所得, shotoku).

The minimum pay per hour, set separately in each prefecture and usually raised in the fall. It applies to all workers, including foreign nationals, students and part-timers.

Pay on top of the normal rate: from 25% for overtime, from 50% for overtime beyond 60 hours a month, from 25% for late-night work and from 35% for work on a statutory day off.

The bracket in a table used to calculate your health insurance and pension contributions. It is recalculated every year from your pay for April to June, and the new bracket applies from September.

A new contribution collected together with health insurance premiums from FY2026 (starting with the April 2026 contribution). When it first appears on your payslip depends on how your employer collects premiums, usually from the following month’s pay.

The national tax on income. For employees, the company withholds it every month and recalculates it for the whole year in December (年末調整, nenmatsu chōsei).

A tax paid to your prefecture and city: about 10% of last year’s taxable income. You pay it where you lived on January 1, starting in June; in your first year in Japan you usually don’t pay it.

Your company withholds income tax from each paycheck and pays it to the government. That is why employees usually do not need to file a tax return.

An annual statement from your employer: salary for the year, deductions and tax withheld. It is issued in December or January and when you leave a job; you need it for a tax return and at your next job.

In December your company recalculates your income tax for the year, including deductions, and refunds any overpayment or collects the shortfall. For this you fill in forms about your family and insurance.

The annual tax return is filed from February 16 to March 15. Employees need it if income from a second job and other income outside salary is more than ¥200,000 a year, if no year-end adjustment (年末調整) was done, or to claim the medical expense deduction.

The form you submit at your main job before your first payday and then every year. Without it, tax is withheld at a higher rate (column 乙, otsu).

A deduction every taxpayer gets; the amount depends on income. For income tax it was raised by the 2025 and 2026 reforms; for resident tax it stays at ¥430,000.

A notional allowance for an employee’s “expenses”, subtracted from salary: annual salary minus this deduction gives your income (所得, shotoku), on which tax is calculated.

A deduction for relatives you support, from age 16. There is no deduction for children under 16; instead there is the child allowance (児童手当).

A deduction if your husband or wife has a low income. Only for a legally married spouse; if the spouse’s income is above the limit, a smaller special exemption for spouse (配偶者特別控除) applies.

If your family spent more than ¥100,000 on medical care in a year (or 5% of income if your income is low), you can deduct the difference in your tax return.

A donation to any municipality in Japan: almost the whole amount except ¥2,000 reduces your taxes, and the municipality sends you a gift. There is a limit based on income.

Your employer deducts resident tax from your salary in 12 installments, from June to May. Almost all company employees pay this way.

You pay resident tax yourself with payment slips from city hall, usually in four installments: June, August, October and January. This happens when you change jobs and for freelancers.

A letter from city hall with your resident tax amount and payment deadlines, for people who pay the tax themselves; it arrives in June with the payment slips. Company employees get a similar notice (税額決定通知書) from their employer.

A form for paying tax or contributions at a bank, a convenience store or by scanning its code in an app. It comes from city hall, the tax office or the Japan Pension Service.

Issued by city hall for resident tax and by the tax office for national taxes. You submit it to immigration when you extend your status or apply for permanent residence.

A certificate from city hall showing last year’s income and the resident tax charged. You need it for visas, daycare, benefits and renting a home.

A charge for paying tax or contributions late, added for every day of delay. Unpaid taxes and insurance are taken into account when you extend your visa.

Someone who has no address in Japan and has lived here for less than a year; this is usually what you become after you leave. A non-resident pays tax only on Japanese income, and 20.42% on salary.

A person or firm in Japan who receives your tax mail and pays your taxes after you leave. You appoint them before you leave.

Health insurance and pension (in the broad sense also Employment Insurance and workers’ accident insurance) arranged through your employer. The company and the employee each pay half of the health insurance and pension contributions.

Health insurance for company employees. It usually covers 70% of medical costs and pays sickness and maternity benefits; a spouse and children with low income are covered at no extra cost.

Health insurance through city hall for students, freelancers and everyone not insured through work. The premium is charged for each family member, and there is no sickness allowance.

Pension insurance through your employer; it includes the basic National Pension. The contribution is 18.3% of your standard monthly remuneration, and the employee pays half.

The basic pension for all residents aged 20 to 59. If you are not in a company pension and are not a dependent spouse in Category III (第3号), you pay a fixed contribution yourself with payment slips.

Insurance in case you lose your job: it pays unemployment benefits, childcare leave benefits and part of training costs. Employees pay a small percentage of their salary.

Covers injuries and illnesses caused by work or by the commute: treatment is free, and you are paid for days you cannot work. Only the employer pays the premiums, and it covers part-time jobs too.

Insurance for when you need care in old age. Contributions start at 40; employees pay it together with health insurance from 40 to 64.

The largest health insurer for employees, mainly of small and medium-sized companies. Its rate differs by prefecture; large companies often have their own health insurance societies (健保組合).

Your My Number Card linked to your health insurance; you show it at clinics and pharmacies. The old health insurance cards (健康保険証) are no longer valid.

A document sent free of charge, without an application, to people who don’t use the My Number Card as their health insurance certificate. With it you are treated at the normal insured price.

A family member covered by your workplace health insurance at no extra cost: expected income under ¥1,300,000 a year (¥1,500,000 at ages 19 to 22, ¥1,800,000 from age 60 or with a disability), under half of your income if you live together, and an address in Japan.

A spouse aged 20 to 59 with income under ¥1,300,000, married to an employee in the company pension: they build up pension coverage without paying anything. The employer handles the paperwork.

If an illness not related to work keeps you from working, you get 2/3 of your daily earnings from the 4th day, for up to a year and a half. Only workplace health insurance pays it.

If your medical bills in a month go over a limit (which depends on income), the difference is refunded. You can get a certificate in advance so the hospital only charges you up to the limit.

You can stay in your company health insurance for up to 2 years after you leave, but you pay the whole premium yourself. Apply within 20 days.

A one-time payment to foreign nationals who leave Japan after paying pension contributions for 6 months or more. Claim it within 2 years of leaving.

Your lifelong number in the pension system. Since April 2022, instead of the pension handbook (年金手帳), you get a Basic Pension Number Notice (基礎年金番号通知書).

The main Employment Insurance payment after you leave a job; people often call it 失業保険 (shitsugyō hoken). You need enough insured time and must be looking for work; apply at Hello Work.

During maternity leave, workplace health insurance pays 2/3 of your daily earnings for the days without salary. National Health Insurance usually does not pay this benefit.

A payment from Employment Insurance during childcare leave: 67% of earnings for the first 6 months, then 50%. When both parents take leave, a supplement since April 2025 (出生後休業支援給付金) adds 13% for up to 28 days, so 80% in total.

A payment from city hall for children up to the end of the school year in which they turn 18, with no income test. The amount is set per month and paid every two months. Apply within 15 days of the birth or your move.

From October 1, 2026, parents who pay National Pension (国民年金) themselves, both mother and father, can stop paying contributions until the child turns 1. There is no income test, and these months count as paid for your pension. Apply at city hall or through Mynaportal (マイナポータル).

The city government office: address registration, National Health Insurance and National Pension, resident tax and child benefits. In Tokyo’s wards the ward office (区役所) plays the same role.

In Tokyo’s 23 wards and in large cities divided into wards, you handle your address, insurance and taxes at the ward office.

A certificate from city hall showing your address and household members. You need it for visas, banks, work and benefits; it usually has to be no older than 3 months.

Notice that you have moved into a city. File it at the new city hall within 14 days after moving, with your residence card.

Notice that you are moving out, either to another city or out of Japan. If you leave the country, your National Health Insurance and National Pension end once it is filed.

The card for foreign residents showing your status, period of stay and whether you may work. You must carry it at all times; your address is written on the back at city hall.

A 12-digit number given to every resident for taxes, insurance and benefits. Your employer asks for it when you are hired; the card with the number is issued if you apply for it.

The person registered at city hall as the head of the household. National Health Insurance letters are sent to them, and they pay the premium for the whole household.

A letter about overdue tax or contributions. Late charges are already being added, and if you still do not pay, your bank account or salary can be seized. Unpaid debts make it harder to extend your visa.

An advertisement for a job. 求人サイト (kyūjin saito) are job sites, and 求人広告 (kyūjin kōkoku) are job ads.

The detailed vacancy form at Hello Work: pay, hours, days off, insurance and probation. The terms in your contract should not differ from it without an explanation.

Free job listings, career counseling and unemployment benefit claims. There are separate Employment Service Centers for Foreigners (外国人雇用サービスセンター).

A letter Hello Work issues for a job from its database. You give it to the employer together with your resume.

The standard Japanese resume form: photo, education and work history by year, licenses and motivation. Dates can follow the Japanese era calendar or the Western one; just be consistent.

A free-format document that goes with your resume: where you worked, in what role, what you did, your results and skills. For experienced professionals it matters more than the 履歴書 (rirekisho).

There are usually several rounds: with HR, with the manager and with a director. Interviews can be online (オンライン面接) or in groups.

A section of the resume and the key interview question: why this company and this job. Prepare a separate answer for each company.

The company’s decision to hire you. Usually this already counts as a labor contract with a start date: the company can cancel it only for a serious reason, as with a dismissal.

Short for 就職活動 (shūshoku katsudō): the mass search for a first job by students on a shared schedule. After graduating on Student status (留学), you can keep job hunting on Designated Activities status (特定活動).

Hiring graduates in bulk to start work in April; no experience is needed, and the company trains you. The opposite is 中途採用 (chūto saiyō).

Hiring people who have already worked, throughout the year. You need experience in the field; most foreign nationals who come to Japan to work are hired this way.

An agency that finds jobs for you and prepares you for interviews. It is free for job seekers; the employer pays. Check the agency’s license number.

Respectful and humble forms of Japanese. You cannot do without them in interviews and business email.

A note in job ads: no experience in the field is needed. 未経験歓迎 means “beginners welcome”. A work visa still requires education or experience.

A note in job ads: you will be enrolled in health insurance, pension, Employment Insurance and workers’ accident insurance.

In a job ad this means you get two days off in at least some weeks. Two days off every week is 完全週休2日制 (on a Hello Work listing, marked 毎週).

A note in job ads: the company pays for your commute, often with a monthly limit or under its own rules, so check the amount.

Any end of employment. On an open-ended contract you can leave by giving 2 weeks’ notice; the company’s consent is not needed.

Written notice of your decision to leave. Unlike 退職願 (taishoku negai), it usually cannot be taken back.

A request to be allowed to leave: you leave when the company agrees. Until it agrees, you can usually take it back.

A dismissal is invalid unless it has objectively reasonable grounds and is socially acceptable (Labor Contracts Act, Article 16). The employer must also give 30 days’ notice or pay for those days.

If you are dismissed without 30 days’ notice: your average wage for the days of notice you did not get.

The company asks you to resign. It is only a request, and you can refuse. If you agree, for unemployment benefits it counts as leaving for company reasons.

Leaving by your own decision. Unemployment benefits start later than when the company lets you go.

Layoffs, bankruptcy, being pushed to resign. Unemployment benefits start without the extra waiting period and are sometimes paid for longer.

A document Hello Work prepares from your former employer’s data: dates of work, pay and the reason you left. The employer passes it on to you; without it you cannot claim unemployment benefits.

A certificate of your period of employment, position, pay and reason for leaving. The employer must issue it if you ask.

Confirms the date from which you are no longer insured through the company. You use it to join National Health Insurance.

A payment when you leave after several years of work. The law does not require it; only company rules do.

Using your remaining paid leave days before you leave. The company cannot move them to a date after you have left.

Moving to another company. A foreign national must notify immigration within 14 days and check that the new job fits their status of residence.

Your legal basis for living in Japan, called a “visa” in everyday speech. Your status decides what work you can do.

An application to extend your period of stay. File it before your stay runs out, usually from 3 months before the end; immigration checks your work, taxes and contributions.

Switching to another status without leaving Japan, for example from Student to a work status after graduation.

Permission to work outside your main status: for students and spouses on Dependent status (家族滞在), up to 28 hours a week. You must get it before you start work.

The most common work status: engineers, programmers, office staff, translators. You need a degree in a related field or work experience, and your pay must be no lower than a Japanese employee’s.

A work status for industries short of workers: nursing care, construction, manufacturing, hotels and others. You need to pass a skills test and a Japanese test.

The status for the spouse and children of a foreign national who works or studies in Japan. They can work only with part-time work permission.

A notice to immigration within 14 days after you leave an employer and after you sign with a new one, for work statuses such as Engineer/Specialist (技人国). Students and some other statuses file 活動機関に関する届出 instead. It can be filed online.

An immigration document confirming that your new job fits your status. It is optional, but it removes the risk at your next extension after a job change.

A document your employer or school obtains in Japan so you can apply for a visa at an embassy. It is often sent electronically.

The agency that grants and extends statuses of residence. Short form: 入管 (nyūkan); people also use it for the local immigration bureau.

A status with no time limit and no restrictions on work. Immigration checks your years in Japan, your income, and that you paid taxes and contributions on time.

The government labor inspection office: unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, injuries at work. Consultation is free, and the office can inspect the company.

Consultation desks at prefectural labor bureaus and Labor Standards Inspection Offices: dismissal, harassment, working conditions. Free, no appointment needed.

A phone consultation service for foreign workers run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in several languages including English (0570-001-701, weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m.).

A center that tells you where to turn and helps you find a lawyer; if your income is low, you can get a free consultation and pay legal fees in installments.

A licensed specialist in labor law, social insurance and pensions who helps with paperwork and with disputes before they reach court. Short form: 社労士 (sharōshi).

Abuse of position at work: insults, shouting, impossible tasks, isolation. Companies must take measures and have a desk for complaints.

Unwanted sexual conduct or remarks at work. Companies must prevent it and deal with complaints.

Pressure or unfair treatment because of pregnancy, childbirth or childcare leave. Dismissal for these reasons is prohibited.

You can claim them for up to 3 years back. If the company goes bankrupt, the government pays part of the debt (未払賃金立替払, payment of unpaid wages on behalf of employers).

An organization of workers that negotiates with the company. You can join a union outside your company, including as a foreign national; you cannot be dismissed for union activity.