I was suddenly fired. How many days notice is required?

What the Law Says

Japanese labor law strictly regulates dismissal to protect workers from sudden or unfair termination. The key requirement is advance notice—or compensation if notice is not given.

Under the Labor Standards Act, an employer must give at least 30 days’ advance written notice before terminating an employee’s contract.

If the employer chooses not to provide the full 30-day notice, they must instead pay the employee a sum equal to 30 days’ average wages.

The 'average wage' is calculated based on the employee’s total wages over the past three months divided by the total number of days in that period—excluding certain non-recurring payments like bonuses.

This rule applies to all employees covered by the Labor Standards Act, including part-time and fixed-term workers, unless specific exceptions apply (e.g., probationary periods under strict conditions).

Statutory Text

An employer who dismisses a worker must give at least thirty days’ notice in advance, or pay the worker thirty days’ average wage in lieu of such notice.

— Labor Standards Act, s. 20 — Notice of Dismissal

Statutory Text

The average wage means the total amount of wages paid to the worker during the three calendar months immediately preceding the day on which the calculation is made, divided by the total number of days in those three months.

— Labor Standards Act, s. 12 — Definition of Average Wage

What to Do

Sources