Paid Leave (Yūkyū) in Japan

Paid leave is known as 有休 (ゆうきゅう yūkyū) in Japan. Paid leave is one of the rights of workers stipulated in Article 39 of the Labor Standards Act, and is a type of leave for which wages are paid. Therefore, this is a time where employees, both part-time and full-time employees, can take a leave from work and not have to worry about salary being deducted. Annual paid leave is important for employees, as this prevents employees from mental and physical burn out.

Legal Framework and Regulations

To claim this annual paid leave, two conditions need to be met:

1. The employee must have already worked continuously for 6 months from the date of his/her employment. After one and a half years of continuous work, employees earn additional paid leave each year based on how long they've been employed.
2. The employee must have attended work on 80% or more of the total working days.

How Many Days of Annual Paid Leave (Yūkyū) Can I Take?

Under the Workplace Reform Bill of 2019, your employer must ensure you take at least five days of paid leave each year. If this requirement isn't met, the company could face fines of 300,000 yen per employee. While this is the legal minimum, many organizations may choose to offer additional paid leave, providing more flexibility for your time off.

In 2022, the average paid leave offered was 17.6 days, but employees took an average of 10.9 days, up from 10.3 in 2021, marking a 62.1% take-up rate, the highest since 1984. International software engineers often receive more leave, with 40.6% of them getting 20 days or more.

Unused paid leave expires after 2 years and cannot be cashed out, so if you don't use it, you lose it. However, you can carry over up to 20 days to the next year. For example, if you have 10 unused days from 2023 and get 20 new days in 2024, you could use up to 30 days in 2024. If you only use five days, the remaining five from 2023 will expire, but the 20 days from 2024 can be carried over to 2025.

Can Part-time Employees Take Annual Paid Leave (Yūkyū)?

Yes! By the rule, workers (such as part-time employees) who have fewer scheduled working days than regular workers are granted fewer days of annual paid leave than regular workers, depending on the number of scheduled working days. This is called "proportional granting." However, if they work 30 or more hours per week, they are not eligible for proportional pay and will receive the same number of paid leave days as full-time employees. Details can be found in the table below:

How to Take Annual Paid Leave (Yūkyū) in Japan

When taking paid leave, there is a deadline for applying for leave up to the day of the leave. While there is no specific legal deadline, each company has its own rules. Many companies require applications to be made two days to one week in advance, but depending on the company and business content, it may be two weeks in advance. The method for applying for paid leave varies from company to company, but generally, you fill out an application form and submit it to the person in charge within the company. In addition to application forms, in recent years it seems that in some cases you can apply for paid leave via email, chat, cloud services, etc. Therefore, some tips include:

1. Check Company Policy: Understand your company's rules about how far in advance you need to apply for paid leave.
2. Apply Early but Not Too Early: Submit your request ahead of time, but avoid applying too early when schedules might not be set yet.
3. Communicate with Your Manager: Talk to your supervisor or manager if you're unsure about the best time to apply. This helps ensure your request aligns with team schedules.
4. Plan Around Busy Periods: Avoid peak work periods if possible, as it might be harder for the company to approve your leave during these times.

Don't Be Afraid to Take Your Paid Leave!

The rise of annual paid leave in Japan has been modest but noticeable. According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the annual paid leave usage rate has been gradually increasing. Furthermore, the Japanese government has implemented policies to promote the use of paid leave through the Work Style Reform Law in 2019 to address overwork issues and improve work-life balance. With the Japanese government's increasing efforts to ensure employees take their paid leave, it's clear that prioritizing mental health is more important than ever. So, don't hesitate to use your paid leave when you need a break!