Work and employment労働

労働三法（ろうどうさんぽう） (the three labor Acts) names this Act together with the Labor Union Act and the Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

Labor Standards Act

労働基準法（ろうどうきじゅんほう）

The legal minimum for working conditions: working hours, breaks and days off, leave, wages and notice of dismissal.

Text in force since
Promulgated
Articles: 124
Amendments on the way: 2

Read the text Open on e-Gov

What this law does

It sets minimum standards for working conditions. The parties to an employment relationship may not use those standards as a reason to lower conditions, and are to try to improve on them.(Art. 1(2)) (the provisions it rests on)

Read the full overview

Among them: no more than 40 hours of work a week and 8 hours a day, excluding breaks; a break of at least 45 minutes when working time exceeds six hours, and of at least an hour when it exceeds eight; at least one day off a week, or four days off in every four weeks; and annual paid leave once a worker has served six months continuously and attended at least 80% of working days. Apart from the variable working-hours and flextime systems the Act sets out, the other hours an Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省令) may set for some businesses, and the workers Articles 41 and 41-2 take outside these rules, the hours may be exceeded, and days off worked, only under a written overtime agreement with the workers' majority union or representative filed with the authorities (a 36協定); with the authorities' permission where a disaster or other unavoidable cause makes it temporarily necessary, or, where there is no time to ask, by reporting it to them without delay afterwards; or, for national and local public servants working in government offices outside the industries of Appended Table 1, where public duties make it temporarily necessary.(Art. 32(1), Art. 32(2), Art. 32-2(1), Art. 32-3(1), Art. 32-4(1), Art. 32-5(1), Art. 40(1), Art. 41(1), Art. 41-2(1), Art. 36(1), Art. 33(1), Art. 33(3), Art. 34(1), Art. 35(1), Art. 35(2), Art. 39(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Wages must be paid in currency, directly to the worker and in full, subject to exceptions the Act allows. An employer dismissing a worker must give at least 30 days' notice, or pay at least 30 days' average wages instead, or a mix of the two. The exceptions — the business cannot continue because of a natural disaster or other unavoidable cause, or the worker is dismissed for their own fault — need the labor authority's certification (認定) of that cause, and the rule does not cover day laborers kept on for one month or less, workers on contracts of two months or less or on seasonal contracts of four months or less who have not been kept on past that period, or workers on probation kept on for 14 days or less.(Art. 24(1), Art. 20(1), Art. 20(2), Art. 20(3), Art. 19(2), Art. 21(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
A labor contract term that falls below the Act's standards is void to that extent, and the Act's standard applies in its place.(Art. 13(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Separate chapters protect workers under 18 and women — chiefly pregnant women and women within a year of giving birth, but also women raising a child under one and women who need leave on menstruation days.(Chapter 6, Chapter 6-2, Art. 67(1), Art. 68(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

Article 1 states the law's own purpose

Working hoursWagesDismissalLeaveMinors and women workers

124 458 136 59 57

Amendments

A Japanese law is changed by another law or order that rewrites it — an . This law has 2 amendments on the way — , but . Its latest amendments are below. This law's amendments page lists every amendment e-Gov records and, for those whose changes this site has read, shows them provision by provision, in Japanese and English.

1 April 2027

in 5 months

Act Partially Amending the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, etc.

労働者災害補償保険法等の一部を改正する法律

The whole text as it will read, on e-Gov

See what it changes (5 provisions)

Date not yet set

Not yet in force

Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc.

民法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律

The whole text as it will read, on e-Gov

The date on which the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc. (Act No. 45 of 2026) comes into force. The exact day is not fixed yet.

See what it changes (7 provisions)

13 amendments already in force

17 July 2026
The text on this site
Act Partially Amending the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, etc.
労働者災害補償保険法等の一部を改正する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
24 June 2026
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc.
民法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 June 2025
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc. (extract)
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律　抄
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2025
Act Partially Amending the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members, and the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children
育児休業、介護休業等育児又は家族介護を行う労働者の福祉に関する法律及び次世代育成支援対策推進法の一部を改正する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
31 May 2024
Act Partially Amending the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members, and the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children
育児休業、介護休業等育児又は家族介護を行う労働者の福祉に関する法律及び次世代育成支援対策推進法の一部を改正する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2023
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts to Promote Work Style Reform
働き方改革を推進するための関係法律の整備に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
17 June 2022
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2020
Act Partially Amending the Labor Standards Act
労働基準法の一部を改正する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2020
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code
民法の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov
1 April 2019
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts to Promote Work Style Reform
働き方改革を推進するための関係法律の整備に関する法律
The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

All 13 amendments already in force

Who it applies to

It applies to

Workers: anyone employed at a business or office and paid wages, whatever the kind of work.(Art. 9(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Employers: the business owner, those managing the business, and anyone acting for the owner on matters concerning its workers.(Art. 10(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

4 more

The Act and the orders made under it apply to the national government, prefectures, municipalities and bodies equivalent to them as well. For public employees in the regular service (一般職), separate Acts change that: the National Public Service Act (国家公務員法) disapplies it to national employees, to whom an Act amending that Act, Act No. 222 of 1948, applies its rules correspondingly, within limits, until a separate Act is made, but without the labour standards inspection bodies' powers; and the Local Public Service Act (地方公務員法) disapplies a list of its provisions to local employees — among them the principle that working conditions are settled on an equal footing (Article 2), the rule that wages be paid in currency, directly and in full (Article 24(1)), flextime and the averaged-hours schemes of Articles 32-3 to 32-5, hours deemed by agreement for work outside the workplace and the discretionary work schemes (Articles 38-2(2) and (3), 38-3 and 38-4), paid leave scheduled by agreement or by the employer (Article 39(6) to (8)), the highly skilled professional system (Article 41-2), work rules (就業規則) and, for those the Local Public Employees' Accident Compensation Act covers, accident compensation — and has the personnel commission (人事委員会) — or, where a local government has none, its head — use those powers over all but those in the businesses it names. Other Acts take some of these employees back out of those rules: staff of administrative execution agencies (行政執行法人) wholly, and employees of local public enterprises (地方公営企業), staff of specified local incorporated administrative agencies (特定地方独立行政法人) and, until a separate Act is made for them, local employees hired for manual work (単純労務職員) for most of them.(Art. 112(1), National Public Service Act Suppl. Prov. Art. 6(1), National Public Service Act Suppl. Prov. Art. 3(1), Local Public Service Act Art. 58(3), Local Public Service Act Art. 58(5), Act on Labor Relations of Agency Engaged in Administrative Execution Art. 37(1), Local Public Enterprise Act Art. 39(1), Local Public Enterprise Labor Relationships Act Suppl. Prov.(5), Local Independent Administrative Agency Act Art. 53(1)(i), Art. 2(1), Art. 24(1), Art. 32-3(1), Art. 32-4(1), Art. 32-5(1), Art. 38-2(2), Art. 38-2(3), Art. 38-3(1), Art. 38-4(1), Art. 39(6), Art. 39(7), Art. 39(8), Art. 41-2(1), Art. 89) (the provisions it rests on)
Some other public employees have Acts of their own that change it too, among them Self-Defense Forces personnel, to whom the Self-Defense Forces Act (自衛隊法) disapplies it, and Diet staff (国会職員), to whom the Diet Staff Act (国会職員法) disapplies it but applies its rules correspondingly, within limits, without the labour standards inspection bodies' powers. For court staff other than judges and judges' secretaries, the Act on Temporary Measures concerning Court Officials (裁判所職員臨時措置法) applies the National Public Service Act to them correspondingly, for the time being and except where another Act provides otherwise, in matters such as their appointment, pay and service; the provisions of that Act it leaves out do not include the provision under which this Act does not apply to that Act's employees.(Art. 112(1), Self-Defense Forces Act Art. 108(1), Diet Officers Act Art. 45(1), Diet Officers Act Art. 45(2), Act on Temporary Measures concerning Court Officials (1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Of the provisions of this Act that the Local Public Service Act (地方公務員法) disapplies to local public employees in the regular service, it still applies the accident compensation rules (Articles 75 to 88) to those the Local Public Employees' Accident Compensation Act (地方公務員災害補償法) does not cover, and the rule that labour standards inspectors act as police in investigating offences under this Act (Article 102) to those in the businesses Appended Table 1 lists, other than post, letter delivery and telecommunications and education, research and surveys, that a local government runs. It also rewrites four rules for them: the employer sets hours averaged over a period of up to a month by work rules or the like, not by a written agreement with the majority union or majority representative of the workplace (Article 32-2(1)); breaks need not be given to everyone at once where a local ordinance () specially provides, instead of where such an agreement does (Article 34(2)); the employer may provide paid time off, taken by the employee, in place of the premium for overtime beyond 60 hours a month without such an agreement (Article 37(3)); and paid leave may be given by the hour where that is found especially needed, instead of under such an agreement (Article 39(4)) — though other Acts change these rules for some local employees: among others, employees of local public enterprises (地方公営企業), staff of specified local incorporated administrative agencies (特定地方独立行政法人) and, until a separate Act is made for them, local employees hired for manual work (単純労務職員) are taken out of that rule, so these four Articles apply to them as written.(Art. 112(1), Local Public Service Act Art. 58(3), Local Public Service Act Art. 58(4), Local Public Enterprise Act Art. 39(1), Local Independent Administrative Agency Act Art. 53(1)(i), Local Public Enterprise Labor Relationships Act Suppl. Prov.(5), Art. 75(1), Art. 102(1), Appended Table 1, Art. 32-2(1), Art. 34(2), Art. 37(1), Art. 37(3), Art. 39(4)) (the provisions it rests on)
For teachers and other educational staff (教育職員) of public schools such as elementary, junior high and high schools, special needs schools and kindergartens — principals, vice-principals, teachers, school nurses, lab assistants and dormitory supervisors among them, but lecturers (講師) only if they work full time or hold a short-time post under Article 22-4(1) of the Local Public Service Act — the Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc., changes these rules again: Article 32-4's hours averaged over a period of more than a month and up to a year, which the Local Public Service Act disapplies to other local employees, applies to them where a local ordinance (条例) specially provides for it, in place of a written agreement. Unless they are placed in remedial training (指導改善研修), Article 37 on premium pay for overtime, rest-day and late-night work does not apply to them at all, and they may be made to work longer hours or on rest days under Article 33(3) when public duty temporarily requires it, with regard for their health and welfare — though Article 6 of that same Act on Special Measures lets them be made to work beyond their regular hours, or their regular hours on national and year-end holidays and other days that carry a holiday-work allowance, only in cases a local ordinance (条例) sets under standards a Cabinet Order lays down, unless they receive a managerial allowance. For those placed in remedial training, Article 37 applies but Article 36 does not, so their hours cannot be lengthened, or rest-day work arranged, by a written agreement.(Art. 112(1), Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc. Art. 2(2), Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc. Art. 5(1), Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc. Art. 5(2), Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc. Art. 6(1), Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc. Art. 6(3), Local Public Service Act Art. 58(3), Art. 32-4(1), Art. 33(3), Art. 36(1), Art. 37(1), Art. 37(3)) (the provisions it rests on)

It does not apply to

Seafarers covered by the Mariners Act: of this Act, only Articles 1 to 11, Article 116(2) and the penalties in Articles 117 to 119 and 121 apply to them.(Art. 116(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Businesses employing only relatives who live with the employer, and domestic workers.(Art. 116(2)) (the provisions it rests on)

Special rules and exceptions (6)

The rules on working hours, breaks and days off do not apply to workers in agriculture, livestock farming, sericulture or fisheries (forestry is not excluded); to supervisors, managers and staff handling confidential matters; or, with official permission, to workers doing monitoring or intermittent work.(Art. 41(1), Appended Table 1(vi), Appended Table 1(vii)) (the provisions it rests on)
Workers in the highly skilled professional system (高度プロフェッショナル制度) are also outside the rules on working hours, breaks, days off and late-night premium pay. This covers only designated specialist jobs and highly paid workers, and only where the workplace's labor-management committee has passed the required resolution by a four-fifths majority, the employer has filed it with the authorities, the worker has consented, and the employer actually takes the required health measures, including at least 104 days off a year.(Art. 41-2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Workers under 18 cannot be made to work overtime or on days off under an overtime agreement, and the variable working-hours, flextime and highly skilled professional systems and the special hours an Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省令) may set for some businesses do not apply to them. Once the first 31 March after they turn 15 has passed, though, they may have one day of a week cut to 4 hours or less and other days lengthened to up to 10 hours within the 40-hour week, or be scheduled as under the one-month or one-year variable working-hours systems within 8 hours a day and the weekly hours such an Order sets, which may not exceed 48.(Art. 60(1), Art. 60(3), Art. 60(3)(i), Art. 60(3)(ii)) (the provisions it rests on)
The ban on night work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for workers under 18 does not cover males aged 16 or over working in shifts, and does not apply in agriculture and forestry, in livestock farming, sericulture and fisheries, in the treatment and nursing of the sick or infirm and other health and hygiene work, or in telephone exchange work, nor where hours are extended or days off worked under Article 33(1) because a disaster or other unavoidable cause makes it temporarily necessary. Where the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds it necessary, the Minister may move those hours to 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for a region or a period, and a business working in shifts may, with the labour authorities' permission, have workers under 18 work until 10.30 p.m. or from 5.30 a.m. For children employed with permission under Article 56(2) — those who have not yet passed the first 31 March after turning 15 — the hours are 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., or 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. where the Minister has moved them.(Art. 61(1), Art. 61(2), Art. 61(3), Art. 61(4), Art. 61(5), Art. 56(1), Art. 56(2), Appended Table 1(vi), Appended Table 1(vii), Appended Table 1(xiii), Art. 33(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
The caps on overtime under an overtime agreement do not apply to research and development of new technologies, products or services.(Art. 36(11)) (the provisions it rests on)
Public servants working in government offices, outside the businesses in Appended Table 1, can be made to work longer hours or on days off when public duty temporarily requires it, without the permission otherwise needed.(Art. 33(3)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it is enforced (4)

Labor standards inspectors () are stationed in the Labor Standards Inspection Offices (労働基準監督署), the prefectural labor bureaus and the ministry bureau in charge.(Art. 97(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Inspectors may enter workplaces and dormitories, demand books and documents, and question employers and workers.(Art. 101(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
For offences under the Act, inspectors carry out the duties of judicial police officers under the Code of Criminal Procedure.(Art. 102(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Breaching many of its provisions is a crime. Penalties range from a fine of up to 300,000 yen to imprisonment for one to ten years or a fine of 200,000 to 3,000,000 yen for forced labor, and the business owner can be fined as well as the person who committed the breach.(Art. 117(1), Art. 5(1), Art. 118(1), Art. 119(1), Art. 120(1), Art. 121(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it connects to other laws

Cites this lawLawThis law cites it

It also names 15 laws not yet held here.

Where the translation comes from

The Ministry of Justice's translation is shown only where the Japanese it translates matches the law in force today. Everywhere else the English is a machine translation, marked on the paragraph itself.

Only the Japanese is the law, and no lawyer has reviewed the machine translation.

Sources

Everything this page rests on

e-Gov (Digital Agency)労働基準法 — the text in force from 2026-07-17Original
e-Gov (Digital Agency)労働基準法 — revision historyOriginal
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeLabor Relations Adjustment Act — Ministry of Justice translationOriginal
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeLabor Standards Act — Ministry of Justice translationOriginal
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeLabor Union Act — Ministry of Justice translationOriginal
Machine translation, not official
Written for this site with AIEnglish titles of amending laws, written for this site
Written for this site with AIDescriptions of each law, written for this site
Written for this site with AINames for groups of laws, and the laws each names
Written for this site with AICorrections to the Ministry of Justice's English of paragraphs
Written for this site with AICorrections to the Ministry of Justice's English of supplementary provisions
Written for this site with AICorrections to the Ministry of Justice's English of eight provisions that cite one provision as several or put "a" before a plural
Written for this site with AINotes on what a provision of an Act outside this collection states, written for this site
Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text

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