Japan Job Offer Letter Template (内定通知書)

An Offer Letter (内定通知書) itself is not strictly required by law, but the moment a candidate accepts a job offer, a labor contract is generally considered formed under Japanese case law. What is mandatory is the labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書) under Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act, which must be issued at the latest by the employee’s first day. Most companies combine both into the offer process: the offer letter sets the headline terms and signals selection, and the labor conditions notice provides the legally mandated detail.

An informal pre-offer (内々定, nai-nai-tei) is non-binding and typically used for new graduates ahead of the October 1 offer ceremony (内定式). The formal offer (内定, naitei) is the one that, once accepted, creates a contract that the employer can only revoke for narrow legal reasons. This template generates an Offer Letter (内定通知書), which is the formal version, not a pre-offer notice (内々定通知).

Only on narrow grounds. Japanese case law treats an accepted formal offer (内定) as a labor contract with a deferred start date and a reservation of the right to cancel for cause. Permitted reasons typically include: failure to graduate, inability to obtain the required visa, serious health deterioration, material misrepresentation in the application, or affiliation with antisocial forces. Revocation for business convenience or “we changed our minds” will usually be ruled invalid. The withdrawal clause in this template lists the standard grounds; do not expand it without legal review.

The legally binding version should be the Japanese one. For foreign hires, it is best practice to issue both: the Japanese Offer Letter (内定通知書) as the controlling document, and an English translation provided for understanding only. This template lets you toggle the preview between Japanese and English so you can review and download each version separately as a PDF.

Under Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act and the related Enforcement Regulation, the items that must be in writing include: the term of the contract (and renewal rules for fixed-term), workplace and assigned duties, working hours and rest, days off and leave, wage calculation and payment, conditions for retirement and dismissal, and (from April 2024) any planned changes to workplace and duties. This template covers the essentials; the full mandatory set should be issued via a separate labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書) by the start date.

No. The offer letter typically lists base salary, expected annual figure (including bonus assumptions), and allowances. Resident tax (住民税) is a payroll deduction based on prior-year income, and for first-year hires from overseas it is zero. To estimate net take-home, see the Japan Payroll Calculator linked at the bottom of this page.

Many companies do, and it is good practice. It removes ambiguity and shows the candidate the full picture before they accept. If you don’t attach it at the offer stage, you must still issue a labor conditions notice (労働条件通知書) by the day employment starts. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes a standard labor conditions notice template that is free to use.

The English version is a parallel translation, not a machine output. The two columns are kept structurally identical so the candidate can map every Japanese clause to its English counterpart. That said, the Japanese letter remains the legally binding document. For sensitive cases (executive offers, complex equity, probation carve-outs) have both versions reviewed by your sharoshi or legal counsel.

Yes. Click ‘Edit’ on the toolbar above the preview to make the letter directly editable in your browser. Use this to handle anything the template did not anticipate, extra clauses, special-case wording, role-specific allowances. When you turn editing off, your edits stay; the form fields below continue to drive only the highlighted variables.