Paid Leave in Japan: Your Japanese Vacation Days & More

Paid leave in Japan (有給休暇, yuukyuu kyuuka) is a legally protected right under Article 39 of the Labor Standards Act.

All employees (full-time employees and part-time employees)who have worked at least six months for the same employer and maintained an 80% attendance rate are entitled to a minimum of 10 days of annual paid leave. This minimum increases with tenure, reaching a maximum of 20 days after 6.5 years of continuous service.

This guide covers everything you need to know about paid leave in Japan: how many days you are entitled to, how leave scales with tenure, how Japan's various statutory leave types work, and what the 2025 and 2026 legal updates mean for employees.

An overview of paid leave in Japan

Paid annual leave request form in Japan

All employees in Japan, whether you are full- or part-time, are entitled to annual paid leave (有休, yūkyū). Depending on your position and how long you've been working will determine how much-paid leave you will have. 

All employees in Japan, whether you are full- or part-time, are entitled to annual paid leave (有休, yūkyū). Your position and how long you've been working will determine how much paid leave you will have.

1. Worked continuously in the same company for at least 6 months.

2. Been present for 80% of the working hours

As part of paid leave, you can take time off and still receive your salary monthly.

Your work contract should have how many days you are entitled to while working for your company. 

Saving your paid leave to take consecutive days off is possible. However, you must notify the employer or HR team in advance if your colleagues need to cover your work during normal business operations.

Additionally, your employer can reject your paid leave request for a valid reason. 

How many days of annual paid leave in Japan?

The number of paid leave days you are entitled to increases with your length of service at the same company, as set out in Article 39 of Japan's Labor Standards Act. Here is the full accrual schedule for full-time employees:

Twenty days is the legal maximum. Many companies, particularly international firms and those in technology, offer more than this as a competitive benefit.

Part-time employees are entitled to paid leave on a proportional basis, depending on how many days per week they are contracted to work. For example, an employee who works three days a week accrues leave at a lower rate than a full-time employee. If a part-time employee works 30 hours or more per week, they are entitled to the same leave as a full-time employee.

Since April 2019, under the Workplace Reform Bill (働き方改革法案), employers are legally required to ensure that any employee with 10 or more days of annual paid leave actually takes at least five of those days each year. If an employer fails to enforce this, they face a fine of up to 300,000 yen per employee in violation. This means your employer is not just permitted to encourage you to take leave—they are legally obligated to make sure you do.

Can I save my paid leave in Japan for next year?

Number of remaining paid vacation days

Unused annual paid leave in Japan can be carried over to the following year. However, under Article 115 of the Labor Standards Act, the right to take that leave expires two years after it was originally granted. In practice, this means any unused days are lost permanently if you do not use them within 2 years. Employers are not required to pay out unused leave, so if you do not use it, you simply lose it.

Other types of paid leave in Japan (statutory leave)

Japan has additional types of paid leave that employees are entitled to, mostly family-related. 

Maternity leave

Japan's statutory maternity leave (産前産後休業, sango kyūgyō) is divided into two parts: 

• Prenatal period: 6 weeks before the expected due date.

• Postnatal period: 8 weeks after birth.

To take maternity leave in Japan, you must notify your employer in writing of your pregnancy and intended leave dates, including your expected due date. It is recommended to give at least one month's notice where possible to allow your employer to make arrangements.

During maternity leave, employers are not required to pay your salary. Instead, you receive approximately two-thirds (67%) of your average daily wage through Japan's Employee Health Insurance system as a maternity allowance (出産手当金). This allowance is tax-exempt and social insurance premiums are waived during leave, making your effective take-home pay higher than the percentage suggests.

Additionally, in April 2025, Japan introduced the Post-Childbirth Leave Support Benefit (出生後休業支援給付金). If both parents each take at least 14 days of qualifying childcare leave, an additional 13% is added on top of the standard 67% childcare allowance, bringing the total to 80% of gross salary for that period.

Paternity leave

Fathers in Japan are entitled to two forms of leave following the birth of a child.

The first is Childcare at Birth Leave (出生時育児休業, shusshouji ikuji kyuugyou), also called Papa Leave (パパ休暇). Fathers can take up to four weeks of leave within eight weeks of the child's birth. This can be split into two separate periods. During this leave, fathers receive 67% of their regular salary through employment insurance, tax-free.

The second is standard Childcare Leave (育児休業, ikuji kyuugyou), which fathers can take after the Papa Leave period ends, extending leave until the child reaches one year of age.

Japan's paternity leave entitlement is among the most generous in the world by law, though take-up rates among fathers remain lower than the government target. As of 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported a take-up rate of approximately 30% among eligible fathers, up from 17% in 2021.

Child care leave

Child care is post-maternity and paternity leave, where both parents can take leave to care for their child for up to one year. However, it can be extended for special cases.

Child care leave in Japan includes:

• Childcare at Birth Leave (出生時育児休業, shusshouji ikuji kyuugyou)

• Childcare Leave (育児休業, ikuji kyuugyou)

• Child-Nursing Leave (子の看護休暇, ko no kango kyuuka)

During the first six months of child care leave, employees receive 67% of their regular monthly salary through employment insurance. After six months, this is reduced to 50%. These payments are tax-exempt, and social insurance premiums are waived, meaning the effective take-home amount is close to normal pay for most workers.

Separately, Child-Nursing Leave (子の看護休暇, ko no kango kyuuka) allows employees to take up to five days per year (ten days if they have two or more children) to care for a sick child or accompany them to medical appointments. As of April 2025, the eligible age was raised from elementary school entry to completion of third grade (approximately age nine). New qualifying reasons were also added, including school closures due to infectious diseases and attendance at entrance ceremonies and graduation events. The previous six-month employment waiting period was removed, so new employees can use this leave immediately.

Family care leave

Family care leave (介護休業, kaigo kyuugyou) allows employees to take care of their family members who are inquired, sick, or have a physical or mental disability for more than two weeks. 

This period is limited to 93 days per family member.

During family care leave, employees do not receive salary from their employer. However, they are eligible to receive 67% of their regular salary through employment insurance benefits for the duration of the leave.

Menstrual leave

Article 68 of the Labor Standards of Japanese law allows female employees menstrual leave and can not be forced to work when there's extreme pain and difficulty during menstruation.

However, employers are not obligated to pay leave for menstrual reasons. That is up to the company's policy on whether it is paid leave or not.

Special paid leave in Japan

Special paid leave in Japan (特別休暇, tokubetsu kyuuka) for congratulatory or mourning events is entirely at the discretion of individual employers and is not mandated by law. There is no statutory requirement for companies to provide this leave at all. Where companies do offer it, typical ranges are as follows, though these vary widely.

It includes:

• Your marriage: 3-5 days

• Your children's wedding: 1-2 days

• Spouse gives birth: 1-3 days

• Condolence leave (Death of your spouse): 7-10 days

• Condolence leave (Death of your child or parents): 5-7 days

However, the number of days and these events will depend on your company. 

Holidays in Japan

Japan has 16 national public holidays (国民の祝日, kokumin no shukujitsu) each year, established under the Public Holiday Law. In 2026 there are 17 public holidays due to a rule that states if an ordinary working day falls between two national holidays, it automatically becomes an additional public holiday. This creates Silver Week in September 2026—five consecutive days off—the first Silver Week since 2015.

There are two types of holidays in Japan. Legal holidays are the 16 statutory national holidays listed below. Regular holidays are set by individual companies and are not legally required—examples include Saturdays, days bridging national holidays, and company-specific closures like a founding anniversary.

On any holiday, you are not obligated to work. If you do work on a legal holiday, your employer must pay you a premium rate of at least 35% above your regular wage.

Japan national holidays 2026

Frequently asked questions

How many paid holidays are there in a year in Japan?

Japan has 16 national public holidays each year as a baseline. In 2026 specifically, there are 17 public holidays due to the return of Silver Week in September, when a weekday falling between two national holidays becomes an additional public holiday under Japanese law.

What is the minimum PTO in Japan?

Japan's minimum PTO is 10 days. You can receive more annual paid leave days, depending on your company.

Is there sick leave in Japan?

Japan does not have statutory paid sick leave. Most employees use their annual paid leave (有給休暇) when they are ill. If your absence extends beyond three consecutive days and you have no remaining paid leave, you may be eligible for a Sickness and Injury Allowance (傷病手当金) through your employer's health insurance, which pays approximately two-thirds of your average salary for the duration of the illness.

How do I request paid leave in Japan?

You have the legal right to specify when you want to take paid leave, and employers cannot require you to explain your reasons. You can submit a leave request form (有給休暇申請書) to your employer or HR team, typically with advance notice. Your employer can ask you to shift the timing if your absence would genuinely disrupt business operations, but they cannot simply refuse without offering an alternative date.

Can my employer refuse paid leave in Japan?

Your employer cannot refuse paid leave outright. Under Article 39 of the Labor Standards Act, employees have the right to take paid leave at the time of their choosing. The only exception is the employer's right to request a timing change if granting leave during a specific period would impede normal business operations. Even then, the employer must offer an alternative date, not simply deny the request.

What happens to unused paid leave when I quit in Japan?

Unused paid leave generally expires when you leave a company and cannot be cashed out under normal circumstances, as the Labor Standards Act prohibits paying out leave to protect employees' right to actual rest. The only exception is if you have unused days remaining and your employer's company rules or employment contract specifically provide for payout upon termination. In practice, most employees take their remaining leave before their last working day.

How much paid leave do foreigners get in Japan?

Foreigners working legally in Japan are entitled to exactly the same paid leave as Japanese employees under the Labor Standards Act. Nationality has no bearing on leave entitlement. The same eligibility requirements apply: six months of continuous employment and an 80% attendance rate.

In closing

Despite Japan's paid leave being quite small compared to other countries, there's almost a national holiday every month. Take advantage of the annual paid leave in Japan as well as other special leave for significant life events and to have a work-life balance.

You can also check your employment contract and company policies and talk with your employer to see if it's possible to take extra days off as an employee in Japan.