Farewell Email Templates for Leaving a Job in Japan
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Last Updated:
Category: Job Search Preparation & Interview Tips, Job Change
Authors: Shusaku Yosa
A farewell email communicates your departure, appreciation and the future work contact. It is separate from formally resigning or negotiating the date. Confirm when and what you may announce, then choose from these ten templates by recipient and purpose.
These are fictional templates. Replace bracketed fields with confirmed information and remove sentences that do not apply. The employment end date, final working day and handover date may differ.
Choose recipients and timing
Recipient | Check |
|---|---|
Internal | Announcement timing, relevant recipients and team practice |
External | Company approval, successor details and business continuity |
Individual | Whether a personal note is more appropriate |
There is no universal rule to notify external contacts only on your final day. Agree timing that supports the handover, and avoid exposing unrelated clients’ addresses to one another.
1. To your immediate team
Subject: Farewell from [name]
Dear team,
I will leave the company on [employment end date], with my last working day on [date]. Thank you for your support in our daily work. My responsibilities have been handed over to [confirmed successor/team]. Please use [work contact route] for future matters. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you.
2. To your manager
Subject: Thank you and farewell — [name]
Dear [manager],
Thank you for your guidance, especially your advice during [specific situation]. It helped me develop how I approach my work. The remaining handover items are recorded in [agreed location]. Please let me know before my last working day if anything needs clarification. I appreciate your support throughout my time here.
3. To a colleague in another department
Subject: Farewell — [department/name]
Dear [colleague],
I will leave the company on [date]. Thank you for your help with [shared work]. For future matters concerning that work, the contact will be [confirmed department/person]. I am sorry not to be able to thank you in person, but I wanted to express my appreciation before leaving.
4. To a project group
Subject: Handover and farewell — [project]
Dear project team,
As I am leaving the company, [confirmed colleague] will take over my responsibilities from [date]. Current status and open items are recorded in [approved shared location]. Thank you for your help with [specific collaboration]. I have appreciated working with you and wish the project team well.
5. To a client contact
Subject: Change of contact and farewell — [company/name]
Dear [client contact],
I am writing to let you know that I will leave [company] on [date]. From [handover date], [confirmed successor/team] will be your contact at [approved business contact details]. Thank you for your trust and cooperation during our work together. We appreciate your continued relationship with the team.
6. To an external partner
Subject: Change of contact for [work/project]
Dear [partner],
Following my departure, [confirmed colleague/team] will be the contact for [work]. Please direct questions after [date] to [business contact route]. Thank you for your cooperation on [shared activity]. I appreciate the work we have done together and your continuing collaboration with our company.
7. To your successor
Subject: Handover check and thanks — [name]
Dear [successor],
Thank you for working through the handover. Assigned cases, recurring tasks and pending questions are listed in [shared location]. My last working day is [date]; please raise unclear points by [agreed deadline]. Matters requiring later decisions should go to [responsible manager] under the agreed process. Thank you for your help.
8. After a short period of employment
Subject: Farewell and thanks — [name]
Dear colleagues,
I will leave the company on [date]. Although my time here has been brief, I appreciate the care you took in showing me [work/process]. My assigned matters have been shared with [confirmed handover contact]. Thank you for your support and for the chance to work alongside you.
9. To remote colleagues
Subject: Farewell to our remote team — [name]
Dear colleagues,
Today is my last working day. We have not often met in person, but I have appreciated your support in our messages and meetings. Please refer to [confirmed handover note] for future work contacts. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate across locations. I am grateful for our time together.
10. Replying to a farewell response
Subject: Re: Farewell
Dear [name],
Thank you for your kind message. I particularly appreciate our work together on [shared activity]. I will value what I learned from that experience. Thank you again for your support, and I wish you all the best.
Omit or confirm before including
- Do not force private reasons or the next employer into a routine farewell.
- Private email addresses and phone numbers are optional, not mandatory.
- Do not announce unapproved successors, policies or commercial terms.
- Do not promise indefinite work support after departure.
- Do not invent a reason to make the message sound more agreeable.
Before sending
- Verify dates, names and organizations.
- Check the approved handover contact.
- Review recipients, CC and BCC against the purpose and company policy.
- Remove remaining placeholders, unnecessary attachments and confidential information.
- Do not assume a farewell email replaces the formal resignation procedure.
For a spoken farewell, summarize the departure and thanks instead of reading the whole email. The related speech guide provides shorter options.
Related guides
- Farewell Speeches at Work in Japan: Short and Remote-Meeting Examples (Japanese)
- Resignation Notices and Requests in Japan: Wording and Submission (Japanese)
- Isshinjo no Tsugou: When to Use “Personal Reasons” in Japan (Japanese)
Related Otame4 guides above are in Japanese. Japanese wording in the examples is provided for applications and workplace documents in Japan.
