Employment Law — For Employees
Employment lawyers in Tokyo for English-speaking employees
Told you are dismissed, asked to resign, or told your contract will not be renewed? Our lawyers advise English-speaking employees in Japan, in English. Drawing on our experience of employer-side labour matters and on the perspective of former judges who heard employment cases, we review your documents and the facts and set out the issues, your options and the terms to negotiate.
Contents
What we advise on: dismissal, requests to resign, and non-renewal
- Assessing the validity of a dismissal (ordinary, disciplinary, redundancy, or refusal of regular employment after probation), and the negotiation and procedures that follow
- Responding to a request to resign, a PIP (performance improvement plan) or a separation agreement
- Assessing and negotiating retirement allowances and severance packages; reviewing separation agreements
- Non-renewal of fixed-term contracts, and dismissal before a contract ends
- Claims for unpaid wages, overtime and statutory notice pay connected with a dismissal
- Representation in labour tribunal proceedings, conciliation at the Labour Bureau, and litigation
- Disadvantageous treatment on the ground of nationality, and harassment, connected with a dismissal, a request to resign or non-renewal
We do not handle applications, changes or notifications concerning status of residence. If you wish, we can refer you to a specialist who handles immigration matters.
Articles by situation
Told you are dismissed
Fired in Japan? What to do next
Position eliminated, restructuring
Laid off in Japan? Redundancy dismissals and your options
Asked to resign
Asked to resign in Japan? What to check before you sign
Put on a PIP
Put on a PIP in Japan? What it means and how to respond
Offered a severance package
Severance pay in Japan: entitlements and negotiated packages
Contract not being renewed
Employment contract not renewed in Japan? Your options
Full guide: is the dismissal valid, and how to contest it → Unfair Dismissal in Japan — Advice for Employees
How a consultation works
1. Send the English enquiry form
Give your employer's official name and, as far as you know them, any related companies, staffing agency or client company (we use these to check for conflicts of interest). Also give contact details you control, your reply deadline to the company, and the end date of employment the company has stated.
2. Conflict check
Before any consultation, we check whether our firm or its lawyers have advisory or client relationships with anyone involved. As a result, we may be unable to accept your consultation or instructions. We aim to make first contact within one to three business days. We may need to ask you further questions before completing the check or fixing a time.
3. Initial consultation
Online or at our office. We review your documents and the facts and set out the issues, your options and the terms to negotiate.
4. Strategy and fees
If you instruct us for negotiation or proceedings, we explain the scope of work, how fees are calculated, expenses and an estimate, and agree the terms in writing before starting.
Sending the form does not by itself engage us for negotiation or proceedings.
Fees
Initial consultation: JPY 22,000 for 30 minutes, including 10% Japanese consumption tax, payable in advance by bank transfer as a rule.
If the consultation runs beyond 30 minutes on the day, the additional time is charged at JPY 22,000 (tax included) per 30 minutes; any part of a 30-minute period is charged as a full 30 minutes.
In the initial consultation we review the facts and documents concerning your dismissal or departure and explain the legal issues and your options. It does not include negotiating with your employer or representing you in proceedings, which require a separate engagement.
If you instruct us for negotiation or proceedings, we explain the scope of work, how fees are calculated, expenses and an estimate, and agree the terms in writing before starting.
What to have ready
- Your employment contract, written statement of working conditions or offer letter
- the work rules, if you can get them
- the dismissal notice or emails and letters about the request to resign
- recent payslips
- your record of exchanges with the company (emails, chat, meeting notes)
- any draft separation agreement you have been given
Not having all the documents is no reason to delay. Please do not send confidential company material until we have confirmed that we can act for you.
Our lawyers
Keishi Yoshikawa · Shoichi Hara · Hideyuki Idenawa · Shino Sakakibara
English-language employment matters are handled by Keishi Yoshikawa, Shoichi Hara, Hideyuki Idenawa and Shino Sakakibara. Mr Hara and Mr Idenawa served as judges and heard employment cases. See each lawyer's profile for their background. The lawyer in charge is decided for each matter. Consultations, meetings and correspondence are in English. Court proceedings (labour tribunal and litigation) are conducted in Japanese, so we explain separately what translation or interpreting is needed and its cost. Our lawyers
Request a consultation in English
Tell us your employer’s name, your reply deadline and what has happened. We check for conflicts first and reply within one to three business days.
Sending the form does not engage us. Please do not send confidential company material until we have confirmed that we can act for you.
For employers
If you are an employer seeking advice on an employment dispute, see our guide for employers.
This article is general information, not legal advice on your situation. Figures and procedures are as at the time of writing and may change. We do not handle applications, changes or notifications concerning status of residence; if you wish, we can refer you to a specialist who handles immigration matters.
Contact
Request a consultation in English
Tell us your employer's name, your reply deadline and what has happened. We check for conflicts of interest first and reply within one to three business days.
Request a consultation in EnglishSending the form does not by itself engage us for negotiation or proceedings. Please do not send confidential company material until we have confirmed that we can act for you.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice on any specific matter. Please consult us regarding your specific situation. The content is based on the laws and regulations in effect as of the date of the last update.