Overtime Pay and Paid Leave in Japan: Your Rights as a Foreign Worker (2026)

1

Hours worked

Keep your roster and attendance records.

2

Pay calculation

Compare the payslip with hours and applicable premiums.

3

Paid leave

Check your balance and the request procedure.

A visual summary of this guide. Read the relevant sections below for conditions and exceptions.

Short answer: Work beyond legal working hours must be paid with a premium of at least 25%; holiday work on a legal rest day at least 35%; overtime beyond 60 hours a month at least 50%. After 6 months of continuous work a

Short answer: Work beyond legal working hours must be paid with a premium of at least 25%; holiday work on a legal rest day at least 35%; overtime beyond 60 hours a month at least 50%. After 6 months of continuous work and 80% attendance, the ordinary entitlement is 10 days; qualifying workers with fewer scheduled days and under 30 hours a week receive proportional leave.

General information, not legal advice. Variable-hours systems and certain occupations can have different statutory-hours rules. See our guide on where to get help.

According to the Aichi Labour Bureau's MHLW page:

According to the Aichi Labour Bureau's MHLW page:

The 50% rate has applied to small and medium-sized companies since April 1, 2023.

How to check: use the eligible ordinary hourly wage (not take-home pay). For monthly pay, the denominator is generally the average prescribed monthly hours over the year; not every allowance is excluded. Overtime plus late night has a minimum 50% premium; over-60-hour overtime plus late night 75%; statutory-holiday plus late night 60%. A statutory holiday is not every company day off. For a hypothetical eligible hourly wage of 1,500 yen, one ordinary overtime-and-night hour is 1,500 × 1.50 = 2,250 yen in total.

Also check:

• You must be able to distinguish the regular wage and overtime payment and check whether the statutory premium was paid. If your job has a fixed overtime payment (固定残業代), ask how many hours it covers (see our job ad guide).

• Your wage must be at or above the local minimum (see our minimum wage guide).

You are entitled to at least 10 days if you:

When you get it

You are entitled to at least 10 days if you:

• have worked continuously for 6 months, and

• attended at least 80% of your scheduled working days.

The MHLW says part-time workers are in principle treated the same way.

How many days

Ordinary schedule: at least 30 hours a week, or at least 5 scheduled days a week (or 217 days a year):

Part-time (under 30 hours a week), by days worked per week:

Where weekly days are not fixed, the corresponding annual-day bands are 169–216, 121–168, 73–120 and 48–72. Confirm the proper band for a variable shift pattern.

The 5-day rule

Since April 2019, employers must make sure employees who get 10 days or more of paid leave take at least 5 days within a year of the grant date. This covers large and small companies and also managers.

1. Count your hours each month and compare with your pay slip.

1. Count your hours each month and compare with your pay slip.

2. Ask when your leave is granted. Your 労働条件通知書 should state leave rules (see our contract guide).

3. Request leave in writing (email or an app) and keep a copy.

4. If overtime is not paid, keep records and contact a public consultation desk (see our guide on where to get help).

Overtime and leave rules apply to the work you do, but any work limit attached to your permission still applies across all jobs; comprehensive permission generally limits students during term and dependants to 28 hours w

Overtime and leave rules apply to the work you do, but any work limit attached to your permission still applies across all jobs; comprehensive permission generally limits students during term and dependants to 28 hours weekly. See our 28-hour guide.

Can my employer refuse paid leave? You normally choose the dates. If those dates would interfere with normal business operations, the employer can change the timing under the statutory conditions; it cannot simply erase

Can my employer refuse paid leave? You normally choose the dates. If those dates would interfere with normal business operations, the employer can change the timing under the statutory conditions; it cannot simply erase your entitlement. Keep your request and the response.

Does leave carry over? Statutory leave can be used for two years from grant, so unused prior-year leave can carry over. Check the grant dates and expiry dates separately.

• MHLW Aichi Labour Bureau, premium rates (Japanese): Source: aichi-elcc.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW Aichi Labour Bureau, premium rates (Japanese): Source: aichi-elcc.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW Tochigi Labour Bureau, Labor Standards Act Art. 39 paid leave (Japanese): Source: jsite.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW Work Style Reform site, the 5-day leave rule (Japanese): Source: hatarakikatakaikaku.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW leave timing and entitlement: Source: www.check-roudou.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW leave expiry: Source: www.check-roudou.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW model conditions, cumulative premiums: Source: hatarakikatakaikaku.mhlw.go.jp

• MHLW full and proportional leave tables: Source: www.mhlw.go.jp