A Checklist For Quitting Your Job In Japan

Deciding to leave your job, especially in a foreign country like Japan, is a big choice. Whether driven by a desire for new opportunities, a better work-life balance or pursuing personal passions, quitting your job in Japan is an exciting but daunting step.

However, quitting involves more than just handing in a resignation letter. It requires thoughtful planning, honest conversations, and a focus on ensuring a smooth transition even as you prepare to move on. Navigating this transition with care can make all the difference in how you exit and how you enter the next phase of your career.

This checklist covers everything you need to make the transition to the next phase of your life as smooth as possible.

1. Make Sure You Have a Job Already Lined Up

Although it is not always possible, securing your next position before resigning is best to ensure a smooth transition and, most importantly, financial stability. GaijinPot Jobs is a great place to start.  

However, sometimes unemployment is unavoidable. Japan also has an unemployment system in these cases, and the government has published a helpful guide to claiming unemployment benefits.

 2. Creating a Letter of Resignation

Writing a formal letter of resignation is useful and polite to expedite the resignation process. This tells your boss of your intentions and gives you a firm date to use to make your preparations.

Here is a quick list of useful words and phrases:

3. How Long to Give Notice

Legally, you must give at least two weeks’ notice, but giving at least a month’s notice is considered more professional in Japan. If you must quit sooner, earlier periods can be arranged with mutual consent.

If the employer wants to fire a worker, the rules are stricter. They must give at least 30 days’ notice before letting someone go. Even when an employee is dismissed, the law comes down on the worker’s side, requiring the company to pay any outstanding wages within a week and ensuring the worker receives wages up to the 30-day mark.

Be aware that there are a few occasions when an employee isn’t afforded any protection:

• Crime 
• Embezzlement
• Causing injury to another worker.
• Violation of work rules.
• An employee falsified his/her resume.
• AWOL for two weeks or more.
• Repeatedly late for work or leaves work early.

4. What to Return, What to Keep

Return all company property, such as ID cards, keys, laptops, and documents. If you do any work from home, you will also be expected to log out of Teams, Google or similar work-related groups. Company secrets are protected by law in Japan, and courts come down hard on people who do not observe them, especially concerning company secrets and patents.

5. Leftover Leave

Check how much paid leave you have remaining and discuss with your employer if you can use it before your departure or if you will be compensated with money, for example. Although you are leaving, you are legally allowed to use your leave entitlement and shouldn’t feel under any pressure to not do so.

6. Keeping Your Taxes in Order

Ensure all your taxes are settled before you leave. It is important to obtain a tax certificate (源泉徴収票, gensen choshuhyo) for future tax purposes.

Other things that you need are:

• Resignation certificate (退職証明書 and/or 離職票)
• Unemployment insurance certificate
• Pensions book (only if you used the company’s health insurance)
• Certificate of health insurance coverage loss
• Reference letter

7. Health Insurance

Speaking of health insurance, it is important to understand how it will be affected. After you quit, you won’t be able to use company health insurance, so unless you are moving onto another job with coverage, you may have to enroll in the Japanese national health system instead.

8. Visa

One good thing about Japanese visas is that they are tied to the individual rather than the job, so it is okay to leave one job and work in the same industry without affecting your visa status. However, be careful of Article 22-4 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Act, which lists “failure to undergo the activities related to the status of residence for three months” as grounds for deportation. So, ensure you aren’t between jobs longer than that period.

Things get tricky when you move into a different field and need to get a new visa. This especially applies to teachers who have two visa statuses: Instructor and Specialist in Humanities, which are often not interchangeable. Be careful not to lose your dream job because you have not updated your visa. Luckily, this can be done both in person and online.

9. HR Questions

Because many people leave in the middle of a payment period, clarifying the details regarding your last paycheck with HR is useful. At the same time, you should also understand when your health benefits will end and other final settlements, especially getting a 離職票 (rishoku-hyo). This certificate confirms that you are no longer employed.

10. The Farewell

Before leaving, planning to farewell to your colleagues is always worthwhile. Depending on your company, this could be anything from a farewell party to saying personal goodbyes. 

Regardless of your reason for quitting in Japan, expressing your gratitude and aiming to maintain a positive relationship going forward is common. The Japanese business scene focuses a lot on relationships, so it is always worthwhile avoiding souring relationships as much as possible with these useful phrases:

Although these are the 10 best practices, every situation is unique. If you need any help, the Japanese government has set up a hotline where you can speak with a labor law specialist.

Have you ever quit a job in Japan? How was the experience? Do you have any tips? Let us know in the comments. 

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• SGtamilan says:

  September 19, 2024 at 10:14 pm

  This checklist is incredibly useful for anyone navigating the complexities of quitting a job in Japan! The detailed steps and cultural insights provided offer a clear roadmap for making the transition as smooth as possible. I especially appreciate the emphasis on respectful communication and proper notice periods, which are crucial in maintaining professional relationships. Thank you for providing such a thorough guide—it’s a valuable resource for expatriates and locals alike facing this important decision.