Marriage and Bereavement Leave in Japan: Eligibility, Days and Pay
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Category: Work Styles, Job Change, Overcoming Job-Change Anxiety
Authors: Shusaku Yosa
Japan has no universal number of days for marriage and bereavement leave. Keichō kyūka is employer-defined special leave for specified family events. Check the applicable events, relationships, days, pay and application process in your employer’s policy. You cannot assume that a spouse’s death always gives ten days or that part-time workers are automatically excluded.
For an unexpected bereavement, first tell the workplace that you need to be absent and give the dates you currently know. You can update an unconfirmed funeral or return date later. You do not need to cut necessary leave short as a way to demonstrate commitment.
What keichō kyūka means
Keichō kyūka (慶弔休暇) combines leave for congratulatory events and mourning. Employers may use separate names such as marriage leave and bereavement leave, or kibiki kyūka. Find the policy covering the event rather than relying only on the name.
It is a separate arrangement from annual paid leave. MHLW explains employer-defined special leave. Statutory arrangements relating to childbirth, childcare or family care do not simply disappear because the employer has a keichō leave policy. Ask HR which system applies to your circumstances.
Build a table of your policy, not a national average
Event or relationship | Covered? | Days | Pay | Deadline or starting point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Your marriage | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Death of spouse | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Death of parent or child | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Death of grandparent, sibling or other relative | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Death of spouse’s parent or other relative | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Other event or relationship | ______ | ______ | Paid / unpaid / check | ______ |
Record the policy name and date you checked it. Add relevant questions about a partner’s childbirth, a child’s marriage, travel or responsibilities as funeral organiser. Another employer’s benefit or an online “typical days” table does not establish your entitlement.
Describe the relationship from your perspective
Degrees of kinship describe generations in a family relationship. A spouse should not be listed as a “zero-degree blood relative” beside parents and children. The Ministry of Justice’s material distinguishes the spouse’s relationship from generation-based degrees. Ministry of Justice note on kinship.
Relationship to you | How to describe it | Policy question |
|---|---|---|
Spouse | Check the spouse category | How does the policy define marriage, common-law or other partnerships? |
Parent or child | First-degree blood relationship | How are adoptive relationships covered? |
Grandparent, sibling or grandchild | Second-degree blood relationship | Is that specific relationship covered, and for how many days? |
Spouse’s parent or other relative | State the exact relationship by marriage | Is it treated separately from your own relatives? |
The legal definition of relatives does not automatically determine a company’s leave coverage. “Grandmother” can be unclear if it means your spouse’s grandmother. Use the relationship from your own perspective and ask HR about wording or situations the policy does not clearly address.
Check how days are counted and when they start
Three days counted as calendar days can differ from three scheduled working days. The policy may also specify a starting point linked to the death or funeral. Do not assume the application date starts the count.
Point | Question |
|---|---|
Starting date | Which event starts the period, and what happens if the funeral date changes? |
Calendar or working days | Do weekends or scheduled days off count? |
Consecutive or split days | Must the leave be consecutive? Can ceremony and paperwork dates be separated? |
Travel and additional time | What options apply if travel or funeral responsibilities require longer? |
Pay and attendance | How will payroll and attendance record the absence? |
Fictional comparison of a three-day policy
Assume a Monday-to-Friday worker with weekends off, a Friday starting point and otherwise identical conditions. These are fictional policies, not a description of your employer’s rules.
Fictional rule | Days counted | Period away |
|---|---|---|
Three consecutive calendar days | Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Friday through Sunday |
Three scheduled working days | Friday, Monday, Tuesday | Friday through Tuesday, with the weekend as scheduled days off |
The return date differs even with the same stated number. If more time is needed, ask about annual paid leave or another arrangement. Confirm the category and days rather than silently extending an absence under the original special-leave label.
Do not assume exclusion for part-time or fixed-term workers
Voluntarily introducing a benefit is different from deciding whether treatment differences are appropriate. Hyogo Labour Bureau’s current guidance states the equal-treatment guideline’s principle of the same marriage and bereavement leave and pay protection for part-time and fixed-term workers as for regular workers. The official Labour Bureau guidance.
If days, relatives covered or pay differ, ask HR to explain the difference and its reason; a public labour consultation service can help assess the issue. Individual scheduling circumstances may matter, so an employment label alone is insufficient. MHLW’s treatment-difference guidance provides further information.
Notify the workplace using the facts you have
- Contact the manager or designated service using the workplace’s absence procedure.
- Give the relationship and the dates or expected absence currently known.
- Ask about eligibility, pay, application and documents.
- Update the schedule when confirmed and discuss a manageable handover.
- After leave, check any outstanding paperwork.
Fictional urgent bereavement message
Subject: Request for bereavement leave
My father has died, and I need to be absent from today for the funeral and related arrangements. I currently expect to be away until [date], but the funeral schedule is still being confirmed. Could you advise on bereavement leave and the application process? Project A’s current status is in the shared folder; please contact manager B for urgent decisions. I will update you when the dates are confirmed.
Replace the details with your own facts. If you cannot make contact yourself, someone you trust may be able to help. Tell the employer if a detailed handover is not currently possible. You do not need to promise continuous availability; agree practical contact methods if necessary.
Confirm documents and payroll
If evidence is requested, ask exactly what is needed, where to submit it and by when. If it cannot be obtained immediately, discuss later submission or an alternative. Before collecting detailed family records, clarify the information required and the handling of those documents.
Check the approved attendance category, any pay deduction and whether annual leave was used. If records differ from what was agreed, show HR the relevant period and approval. Protect the time needed for the family event while resolving procedural questions one at a time.
Related guides
- Refresh Leave in Japan: Eligibility, Pay and How to Request It (Japanese)
- Replying to a Job Offer in Japan: Thank-You, Acceptance and Clarification Emails (Japanese)
Sources and further checks
Public information checked on October 5, 2026. These sources concern Japan; verify the conditions that apply to your case.
The related Otame4 guides linked above are in Japanese.
