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Act on National Holidays

国民の祝日に関する法律（こくみんのしゅくじつにかんするほうりつ）

Names Japan's national holidays (国民の祝日), days set aside for the people to celebrate, give thanks or commemorate, and makes each of them — and certain days after or between them — a public holiday (休日).

Text in force since
Promulgated
Articles
3
Amendments on the way
0
Read the textOpen on e-Gov

What this law does

  • Nine national holidays fall on a fixed date: New Year's Day (元日) on 1 January, the Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日) on 23 February, Showa Day (昭和の日) on 29 April, Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日) on 3 May, Greenery Day (みどりの日) on 4 May, Children's Day (こどもの日) on 5 May, Mountain Day (山の日) on 11 August, Culture Day (文化の日) on 3 November and Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日) on 23 November.(Art. 2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Read the full overview
  • Four national holidays fall on a Monday: Coming-of-Age Day (成人の日) on the second Monday in January, Marine Day (海の日) on the third Monday in July, Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日) on the third Monday in September, and Sports Day (スポーツの日) on the second Monday in October.(Art. 2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Vernal Equinox Day (春分の日) is the day of the vernal equinox (春分日) and Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日) the day of the autumnal equinox (秋分日); the Act gives no calendar date for either. National Foundation Commemoration Day (建国記念の日) falls on the day a Cabinet Order (政令) sets, not on a date written in the Act.(Art. 2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • Every national holiday is a public holiday (休日).(Art. 3(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • When a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the nearest following day that is not itself a national holiday is a public holiday (休日). The Act gives this day no name; it is commonly called a substitute holiday (振替休日).(Art. 3(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A day that is not a national holiday, but whose day before and day after are both national holidays, is also a public holiday (休日). The Act gives this day no name; it is commonly called a citizens' holiday (国民の休日).(Art. 3(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
Article 1 states the law's own purpose
List of national holidaysHolidays on a MondaySubstitute holidayDay between two holidaysNational Foundation Commemoration DayWhat national holidays are for

Amendments

A Japanese law is changed by another law or order that rewrites it — an . No amendment to this law is waiting to come into force. Its amendment history is below. The amendments this site has read the changes of are on this law's amendments page, provision by provision, in Japanese and English.

3 amendments already in force

  • 1 January 2020

    The text on this site

    Act Partially Amending the Act on National Holidays

    国民の祝日に関する法律の一部を改正する法律

    The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

  • 1 May 2019

    Special Act on the Imperial House Act Concerning the Abdication of the Emperor, etc.

    天皇の退位等に関する皇室典範特例法

    The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

  • 1 January 2016

    Act Partially Amending the Act on National Holidays

    国民の祝日に関する法律の一部を改正する法律

    The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

Who it applies to

It applies to

  • The Act sets days for the whole people (国民こぞつて, all the people together) to celebrate, give thanks or commemorate; it places no duty on any person, business or body.(Art. 1(1), Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
How it is enforced (2)
  • The Act has no penalties. Apart from leaving the date of National Foundation Commemoration Day (建国記念の日) to a Cabinet Order (政令), it only names the national holidays and says which days are public holidays (休日); it says nothing itself about what a public holiday requires of anyone.(Art. 1(1), Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1), Art. 3(2), Art. 3(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
  • A Cabinet Order (政令) sets the date of National Foundation Commemoration Day (建国記念の日). The amending Act that wrote the day into Article 2, Act No. 86 of 1966, required that Order within six months of its promulgation, and required the Prime Minister to consult a council on the day (建国記念日審議会) before drafting it and to respect its answer.(Art. 2(1), Suppl. Prov.(2), Suppl. Prov.(3)) (the provisions it rests on)

How it connects to other laws

It does not cite, and is not cited by, any other law held here.

It also names 1 law not yet held here.

Where the translation comes from

  • 5
  • 8
  • 8not translated

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)国民の祝日に関する法律 — the text in force from 2020-01-01Original
  • e-Gov (Digital Agency)国民の祝日に関する法律 — revision historyOriginal
  • Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of JusticeAct on National Holidays — 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
  • Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text