How Many Annual Days Off Are Enough in Japan? Compare 105 and 120 Using the Work Calendar

Use averages as context

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported 112.4 annual days off per company and 116.6 per worker in its 2025 General Survey on Working Conditions, referring to the 2024 calendar year. The company figure averages the annual days off applying to the largest group of workers in each company. The worker figure weights those schedules by the number of workers covered.

The survey covers private enterprises with at least 30 regular employees. It does not represent every employer or employment arrangement without qualification. Nor should a 2025 survey figure be described as the number of days people actually took off in 2026. Check your own schedule and its distribution rather than judging an offer only against the average.

The difference between 105 and 120 is 15 scheduled working days

For a 365 day year with eight scheduled working hours on every working day, the comparison is as follows. Paid leave taken, overtime and absence are excluded.

The difference is 15 days, or 120 hours at eight hours per day. However, a job with 120 days off and longer daily hours can involve more annual scheduled hours than a job with 105 days off and shorter days. If daily hours vary, add the hours for individual scheduled days rather than multiplying every day by eight.

The monthly average used for some wage calculations is a separate figure. Our scheduled working hours guide explains its relationship with annual totals and each month's actual schedule.

Count the calendar in four stages

1. Identify the period and your working arrangement

Check whether the figure covers January through December or a company year such as April through March. Head office, store, daytime and rotating shift calendars can differ within one employer. Use the calendar for your intended assignment and account for a leap year if it falls within the period.

2. Mark days that are scheduled as nonworking days

Count weekends, rostered rest days, public holidays the company treats as days off, and company summer or year end closures once per date. A national public holiday does not automatically have to be a nonworking day for every private employer. Some workplaces operate on public holidays and provide rest on other days.

For example, 104 weekend days plus 12 public holiday days off that do not overlap with weekends, plus four additional company closure days, gives 120. If a six day year end closure includes two weekends already counted, only four days are additional. Avoid counting the same date twice.

3. Keep paid leave and special leave in separate columns

Paid annual leave is taken on a day that would otherwise be a working day. Separate it from the company's scheduled annual days off. “115 annual days off plus five planned paid leave days” and “120 annual days off” have different components. Ask how the arrangement applies to people who have not yet become entitled to annual leave or lack sufficient days.

For a benefit such as birthday leave, establish whether it is a companywide nonworking day or leave an individual requests on a scheduled working day. A benefit's name alone does not tell you how to count it. See our guide to leave and scheduled days off.

4. Check what happens when people work on scheduled days off

The planned calendar and actual holiday work are separate questions. Ask about advance substitution, compensatory time off, when rest is taken and premium pay. A calendar listing 120 days does not prove everyone actually rests on 120 days. Our holiday work request guide explains how to clarify the arrangements.

Why 105 is not a universal legal minimum

The general Labor Standards Act rules concern, in principle, eight hours per day and 40 per week, plus at least one rest day each week or four rest days over four weeks. They do not directly prescribe 105 annual days off for every workplace. Daily hours, weekly distribution, variable working hours arrangements and relevant exceptions affect what must be checked.

Simply averaging annual hours across 365 days cannot establish compliance. If shorter and longer weeks alternate, check the applicable system and procedures. A low annual total does not by itself prove illegality, and a figure of 105 or 120 does not establish that every working arrangement is compliant.

Match the timing of days off to your life

Even with the same 120 days, fixed rest days may help coordinate family plans while weekday shift rest may help with appointments. Compare:

• Consecutive breaks and whether they can match the dates you need.
• When rosters are confirmed and how often they change afterward.
• The busiest month's consecutive working days and subsequent rest.
• Daily scheduled hours, commuting and busy season overtime.
• Leave procedures and use within the department, as well as entitlement.

For example: “Does the figure of 120 annual days off exclude paid annual leave? Could I see the calendar for the relevant year and my intended working arrangement, together with a busy month example?” Compare the dates with your own appointments and family needs, considering both the annual total and its practical use.

_{Sources: MHLW: 2025 General Survey on Working Conditions, working hours systems / MHLW: survey scope / MHLW: working hours, rest days and paid annual leave}