Find work in Japan
Japan — 125 million people, Japanese Yen (JPY), Japanese. Full employment compliance handled for you, paid every Friday.
Capital
Tokyo
Population
125 million
GDP / capita
$33,950
Currency
JPY
Japanese Yen
Time zone
UTC+9 (JST)
Working in Japan: what to expect
Key employment law provisions that affect your engagement. Corpshore handles compliance so you don't have to navigate this alone — but knowing your rights matters.
Standard workweek
40h max
40 hours (8 hours/day, 5 days/week)
Annual leave
16 public holidays
10 days (first year, after 6 months), increasing to 20 days over 6.5 years. Employers must ensure at least 5 days are taken annually.
Maternity leave
14 weeks (6 before + 8 after), paid through health insurance at 2/3 salary
Paternity leave
Up to 1 year childcare leave (ikuji kyugyo), paid at 67% for first 180 days then 50%. New 'postnatal papa leave' of 4 weeks since 2022.
Notice period
30 days (employer). Employee: 2 weeks (Civil Code). Note: Japanese law makes dismissal extremely difficult.
Severance
No statutory requirement, but retirement allowance (taishokukin) is near-universal in practice. Typical: 1-3 months per year of service.
Overtime rules
25% premium (regular overtime), 35% (late night 10pm-5am), 50% (overtime exceeding 60 hours/month for large employers). 36 Agreement (Article 36 of Labour Standards Act) required for any overtime.
Probation period
3-6 months typical (contractual). Employment rights still apply during probation; dismissal must meet the high bar of 'just cause'.
Tax landscape in Japan
Indicative tax ranges for general orientation. Always consult a qualified tax advisor for your specific situation. Tax year: Calendar year (Jan-Dec).
- Income tax
- 5% to 45% (national) + 10% residential tax
- Corporate tax
- ~30% effective (23.2% national + prefectural/municipal enterprise taxes)
- Social contributions
- Roughly 15% each (employer/employee). Covers health insurance, pension (kosei nenkin), unemployment, workers' comp, long-term care.
- VAT / GST
- 10% (standard); 8% reduced (food, non-alcoholic beverages, newspaper subscriptions)
Treaty network
Over 75 tax treaties
Your fee is always zero
Corpshore charges the hiring business, never you. You receive 100% of the agreed rate, regardless of tax jurisdiction.
How you get paid in Japan
Zengin system handles domestic interbank transfers (processed same-day for morning submissions). Monthly payroll on the 25th is the most common cycle. Cash-based culture is shifting but still significant.
Bank transfer (Zengin)
Wise
Settlement
Every Friday
No net-30 waits, no chasing invoices
Platform fee
Zero, forever
The business pays Corpshore, never you
Currency
JPY
Local currency where supported
Regulatory landscape in Japan
Corpshore manages compliance so you can focus on the work. Here's what shapes the regulatory environment for workers in Japan.
Worker classification
Distinction between employees (rodosha) and independent contractors (gyomu itaku). Labour Standards Act applies only to employees. Misclassification risk is high given Japan's strict dismissal rules.
Data protection
Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI, revised 2022). Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) enforces. Requires consent for cross-border transfers.
Right to work
Status of residence (visa) required. Highly Skilled Professional visa offers fast-track permanent residence. Specified Skilled Worker visas (2019) opened blue-collar sectors.
Non-compete enforceability
Enforceable if reasonable. Courts apply a multi-factor test: necessity, scope, duration, geographic limitation, and whether compensatory measures exist.
Collective bargaining
Protected under the Trade Union Act. Shunto (spring wage offensive) is the annual wage negotiation cycle. Enterprise unions (company-specific) dominate rather than industry-wide unions.
Working culture in Japan
Business culture
Formal, consensus-driven (ringi system), and relationship-oriented. Hierarchy and seniority matter. Business cards (meishi) exchange is ritualistic. Punctuality is absolute. After-hours socialising (nomikai) builds relationships.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
Japan's lifetime employment system (shushin koyo) emerged during the post-war economic miracle as companies invested heavily in training workers who would stay for their entire careers. The 1990s economic stagnation (ushinawareta jyunen, the lost decade) began eroding this system, but its cultural influence persists. The 2018 Work Style Reform Act was Japan's most significant labour law change in decades, capping overtime and mandating equal pay for equal work.
At a glance
- Official name
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zones
- UTC+9 (JST)
- Data region
- Asia-Pacific
Open roles: Japan and remote
No open roles in Japan right now
New roles post continuously. Create a profile and we'll match you automatically.
Ready to find work in Japan?
Create a free profile. Verify your identity once. Get matched with roles that fit your skills. No platform fee, ever.
Create your profile