Free, browser-based Japanese labor contract templates for the four standard worker types in Japan. Generate, edit, and export to PDF in your browser. Aligned with Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act and the April 2024 disclosure amendment.
Each template generates a Japanese labor contract specific to one worker type. Fill in the conditions, preview the contract in Japanese or English, edit any clause inline, then export to PDF.
For indefinite-term hires working full-time hours. The strongest job-protection regime in Japan. Includes the standard 12 articles, post-April-2024 scope-of-change disclosures, probation, retirement, and non-compete.
For hires with an explicit contract end date, typically 1 to 3 years. Includes the renewal-cap and indefinite-conversion (無期転換, Article 18 LCA) clauses required by the April 2024 disclosure amendment.
For workers below the full-time threshold (typically under 30 hours / week). Hourly wage, shift schedule, proportional paid leave (比例付与), and the social-insurance enrollment thresholds for short-time workers.
For former permanent employees (正社員) re-hired after the mandatory retirement age, typically with reduced hours and adjusted pay. Includes the Type II plan exemption from Article 18 conversion and the in-service old-age pension disclosure.
At-a-glance differences between the four worker types in Japanese labor law. Pick the category that matches the actual working pattern, not the title you'd use internally.
| Permanent 正社員 |
Fixed-term 契約社員 |
Part-time アルバイト |
Post-retirement 嘱託 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract term | No fixed end | 1-3 years, renewable | Often fixed-term, renewable | 1 year, renewable to 65 |
| Hours / week | Full-time (~40h) | Full or reduced | Below full-time (~<30h) | Often reduced |
| Dismissal protection | Strongest (Article 16 LCA) | Mid-term: very hard. End of term: non-renewal | Mid-term: very hard. End of term: non-renewal | End of term: non-renewal |
| Indefinite conversion (無期転換) | N/A | After 5+ years on consecutive renewals | After 5+ years on consecutive renewals | Excluded for elderly re-hires under specific conditions |
| Social insurance | Mandatory | Mandatory if hours threshold met | Mandatory if hours threshold met | Mandatory if hours threshold met |
| Bonus / 賞与 | Typical | Sometimes | Rare | Reduced or none |
| Retirement allowance | Typical | Rare | Rare | Already paid out at original retirement |
Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act and Enforcement Regulation Article 5 set the minimum items that must be in writing at the time of hire. All four templates include the full set below.
The right contract type follows from the actual working pattern, not from the title you use internally. A "contract employee" who works full-time hours indefinitely is, legally, a permanent employee (正社員), and pretending otherwise is one of the most common compliance mistakes in Japanese SMB hiring.
Labelling someone a fixed-term employee (契約社員) to avoid permanent-employee (正社員) obligations doesn't work in Japan. Once an employee has worked full-time hours on rolling renewals for 5 years, they have the right to convert to indefinite under Article 18 of the Labor Contract Act. And dismissal at end-of-term without business reason can be invalidated by the doctrine of renewal expectation (雇止め法理). Pick the contract type honestly, plan around the conversion right, and use the template that matches.
The April 2024 amendment to Enforcement Regulation Article 5 added new mandatory written disclosures to every employment contract issued from that date forward. If your existing templates predate April 2024, they are likely missing the items below.
Our templates use the phrase "within the range designated by Party A", broad enough to preserve flexibility, specific enough to satisfy the disclosure rule. Tighter scopes (e.g. "this office only") are a one-line edit before export.
The fixed-term (契約社員), part-time (アルバイト), and post-retirement (嘱託) templates each include these items in the relevant articles.
A written contract is not strictly mandatory under the Civil Code, but Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act requires the employer to give the employee written notice of specific working conditions at the time of hire. In practice the cleanest way to comply is to issue a single signed labor contract (労働契約書), which doubles as the labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書). Each of our four templates produces exactly that for its respective worker type.
In modern Japanese HR practice the two are interchangeable. The older Civil Code term (雇用契約書) and the Labor Contract Act (2008) term (労働契約書) both refer to the written contract between an employer and an individual employee. The labor contract (労働契約書) phrasing is more common in current SMB and enterprise practice. Our templates are titled "Labor Contract" (労働契約書) but you can rename to "Employment Contract" (雇用契約書) in edit mode if your internal templates use the older term.
Use the permanent (正社員) template for any indefinite-term hire who will work the standard 8 hours / day. Use the fixed-term (契約社員) template when the contract has an explicit end date, typically 1 to 3 years. Use the part-time (アルバイト) template for workers below the full-time threshold, regardless of duration. Use the post-retirement (嘱託) template when re-hiring a former permanent employee after their mandatory retirement age, typically with reduced hours and adjusted pay.
Enforcement Regulation Article 5 of the Labor Standards Act was amended in April 2024 to require additional written disclosures: the scope of change for both workplace and duties (not just the initial assignment), and for fixed-term contracts the renewal-cap conditions and the path to indefinite conversion (無期転換). All of our templates incorporate these post-April-2024 requirements.
Yes. Under Article 18 of the Labor Contract Act, an employee on consecutive fixed-term contracts totalling more than 5 years has the right to apply for indefinite conversion (無期転換). Once exercised, the contract becomes permanent on the next renewal. This rule applies to fixed-term employees (契約社員), part-time workers (アルバイト), and any other fixed-term worker. Plan renewal cycles with this rule in mind, the fixed-term template makes the conversion right explicit.
The legally binding version should be the Japanese one. For foreign hires it is best practice to issue both: the Japanese labor contract (労働契約書) as the controlling document, and an English translation provided for understanding only. Each of our templates lets you toggle the preview between Japanese and English so you can review and download each version separately.
Not if the labor contract already contains all mandatory items. Our templates include the Article 15 / Enforcement Regulation Article 5 mandatory set: contract type and term, workplace and scope of change, duties and scope of change, working hours and rest, days off and leave, wage calculation and payment, conditions for retirement and dismissal, social insurance enrollment, and (for fixed-term) renewal and conversion rules. Many companies use the contract itself as their labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書), that’s the simpler path.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) publishes free model labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書) templates as static PDF and Word files. Our templates are interactive: fill in the variables in the browser, switch between Japanese and English preview, edit any clause inline, and export to PDF instantly. The clause structure is aligned with the MHLW models plus the post-April-2024 disclosure requirements.
Japanese labor law is unforgiving on permanent contracts and demanding on disclosures. Pick the template that matches the worker type, fill in the standard fields, and review the result with a sharoshi (社会保険労務士) before issuing it to a real candidate. If you need help building the operational stack behind a hire, contract, payroll, benefits, and social insurance enrollment, you can book a free strategy call.
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