Employee Guide for Japan

👋 Welcome to Toku. Toku is your Employer of Record (EOR) in Japan. We employ you through the appropriate local Toku entity and manage the compliance, HR, payroll, and benefits administration connected to your employment. Your day-to-day work, goals, and role direction continue to come from the organization you support.

Your employment at a glance

📄 Your signed employment agreement governs your individual terms, including pay, working hours, probation, notice, and any custom arrangements. Mandatory local law also applies. If this guide and your agreement appear different, contact Toku before relying on the summary.

Pay schedule and payroll changes

You are normally paid monthly, on the 25th of the month. The standard monthly cutoff for payroll changes is generally the 10th, but the exact cutoff can vary by country and organization. Check the Toku: 2026 and 2027 Payroll Calendar and Deadlines or contact Toku before relying on a specific date.

You will receive a payslip for each payroll cycle showing your gross pay, required deductions, and net pay. Keep your bank, tax, and personal information current in Toku, and notify us promptly if anything changes.

Your employment terms and probation

• Toku issues a compliant local employment agreement for every hire, including the written statement of working conditions Japanese law requires at hiring.
• Indefinite-term employment (seishain) is the standard and carries strong dismissal protections. Fixed-term contracts are allowed for up to 3 years (5 years for highly specialized roles), and employees on successive fixed-term contracts for 5 or more years can request conversion to indefinite status.
• Probation is 6 months, with possibility of extension, per Toku's employment agreement. Note that once an employee has worked 14 days, normal dismissal protections broadly apply even during probation.

Working hours and overtime

Your normal working hours are stated in your signed employment agreement and may vary by role, schedule, or applicable collective agreement. Toku does not expect routine overtime. Do not work overtime or additional hours unless your manager has approved them in advance. Any overtime or additional-hours treatment follows your signed agreement and mandatory local law.

Leave entitlements

Employees with 10 or more annual leave days must take at least 5 per year, and unused leave carries over for up to 2 years. Parental leave benefits are government-funded: since April 2025, a top-up raises benefits to 80% of pre-leave wages (roughly full net pay) for up to 28 days when both parents take at least 14 days of leave within 8 weeks of the birth.

ℹ️ Your employment agreement, Toku HRIS leave balance, and applicable local rules determine your exact entitlement. Contact Toku if the information shown in your account does not match your agreement or this guide.

Public holidays in 2026

Japan has 16 fixed national holidays, and substitute and bridge day rules bring 2026 to 18 days off. Notable clusters are Golden Week (April 29 to May 6) and Silver Week (September 21-23).

Statutory benefits

Statutory : health insurance (covering roughly 70% of medical costs), employees' pension insurance, employment insurance, workers' accident compensation, and long-term care insurance for employees aged 40-64. Employers must also provide required annual health checkups.

Additional Toku benefits

Toku maintains a dedicated benefits guide for Japan. Review Toku: Japan Benefits Overview for current coverage, eligibility, enrollment, and support information. The benefits guide is the source of truth for Toku-provided supplemental benefits in this country.

Stablecoin payroll and token grants

ℹ️ Stablecoin payments are not supported in Japan at this time.

Where permitted by local law and enabled for your organization, Toku can support token grant administration. Availability depends on your organization's program and your individual compensation arrangements.

For token grant questions, use the Toku: Contact our Team for Support! to reach the Token Grant Administration team.

Annual tax documents

Your annual Gensen Chōshūhyō (源泉徴収票) is your salary withholding tax certificate. Expect it in Documents by 31 January of the following year. If you leave during the year, the certificate must be issued within one month after leaving, so you can provide it to your next employer or use it for your tax return. Complete any year-end adjustment forms requested by payroll promptly. National Tax Agency.

If a required form is missing or incorrect, email [email protected]. The dates above describe employer-issued documents, not your personal filing deadline.

Leaving Toku: resigning

Give Toku formal notice. As your legal employer, Toku must receive your resignation letter. Upload it to your Documents section or email [email protected], and notify your manager. Include your intended last day and follow the notice period in your signed agreement and any mandatory local formalities.

Your offboarding documents. Toku sends formal offboarding/termination documentation through DocuSign and uploads it to Documents. This explains the applicable leaving arrangements and final-pay details. We do not routinely send a separate personalized general offboarding email. Required local certificates or payroll documents may arrive separately from Toku, our local payroll provider or the relevant authority. Contact us if anything is unclear.

Japan documents: In addition to your withholding certificate, payroll coordinates the employment-insurance separation paperwork. If you need Rishokuhyō (離職票) for Hello Work, tell Toku; it is sent after the authority processes the filing, either through the employer/provider or directly to Mynaportal if the required setup is in place. It is an unemployment-insurance document, not a recommendation letter. Contact your health insurer or municipal office promptly about coverage after employment and any certificate of loss of eligibility they need. MHLW separation-document guidance.

Benefits after leaving. Benefits are administered outside Toku. Check provider emails and your provider's app or portal for coverage updates. Ask the carrier/provider directly for the exact end date, dependent-coverage impact, claim deadlines and any available continuation or individual-cover options. Do not assume every provider sends a separate cancellation email or that all benefits end on the same day. Retirement savings and statutory insurance records are handled separately from cancellation of employer-sponsored coverage. For your plan details, see your country benefits guide: Toku: Japan Benefits Overview.

Your Toku account stays available after you leave. You can continue to access your documents and payslips. For help updating your email address, password or 2FA, email [email protected].

How to get help

Toku is your employer and your first point of contact for employment support. For payroll, payslips, statutory deductions, or payroll tax documents, email [email protected]. For benefits support, email [email protected]. For leave, employment documents, immigration, or other employment matters, use Toku: Contact our Team for Support! to reach the right team.

Important

This guide is a general summary and does not replace your signed employment agreement, Toku policies, benefit plan documents, or applicable law. Your exact entitlements may vary based on your work location, tenure, role, collective agreement, or individual terms. Where there is a conflict, the applicable law and binding employment documents control.

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Last reviewed September 2026. Source: 🇯🇵 Hiring in Japan.