working conditions

April 22, 2016

Do companies have to give paid leave in Japan?

Japanese companies are required to grant 10 days of paid leave to employees who have been working continuously for at least 6 months and have reported to work at least 80% of the time.  As the employee continues to work for the company, the number of paid leave days will increase by one additional day after the first year of employment to any increase of 10 additional days after working 6 years or more for the employer.
February 23, 2016

What are the laws regarding working hours in Japan?

Employers in Japan must provide at least 45 minutes of break time for work days that last over 6 hours and at least 1 hour of break time for a work day lasting longer than 8 hours.
February 23, 2016

Is it legal to have employees work 7 days per week during busy times and then give them replacement holidays later?

Japanese labor law generally requires that employees receive at least one holiday per week. However, this is not always practical in some industries. Some jobs require employees to work continuously during a busy season to take advantage of favorable economic or consumer conditions. For example, real estate companies often find themselves busiest during the spring when people graduate, get a job and move into a new apartment. Likewise, many food related industries are busiest during harvest season and have much slower business in the winter.
February 23, 2016

Are unions legal in Japan?

The right to form a union is protected by the Constitution of Japan as well as the Labor Union Law. Employees are allowed to form unions in Japan as long as the union is formed independently, mostly by employees and its main purpose is improving the working conditions and economic status of the employees.