Maternity and parental leave in Japan 2026: 14 weeks

How long maternity leave lasts in Japan

The allowance period is 42 days before the birth and 56 days after, 98 days or 14 weeks in total. The leave rules themselves are in article 65 of the Labor Standards Act, which we did not reread this month; the health insurance period above is the part we confirmed.

Because the allowance is two thirds of the standard monthly remuneration, a well-paid employee feels the gap. Any top-up is your choice, since the statute does not require one.

Leave rules in Japan at a glance

Childcare leave benefit: 67%, then 50%

After maternity leave, either parent can take childcare leave (ikuji kyugyo). Employment insurance pays:

• 67% of pay for the first 180 days.
• 50% after that.
• An extra 13% postnatal leave support benefit for up to 28 days when both parents each take 14 days or more (from April 2025).

On JPY 500,000 a month, 67% is JPY 335,000 and 50% is JPY 250,000; with the 13% supplement the first 28 days reach 80%, JPY 400,000, before any cap the program applies. The MHLW leaflet we read covers the benefit, not the length of leave or its extension rules, so we do not restate those here.

Paternity leave in Japan

Fathers have postnatal paternity leave (sango papa ikukyu) on top of ordinary childcare leave, paid from employment insurance at 67% of pay, with the 13% support benefit when both parents take 14 days or more. We did not confirm how many weeks it lasts on the leaflet we read this month.

Sick leave: no statutory employer sick pay

Japan does not require employers to pay sick leave. Health insurance pays an injury and sickness allowance (shobyo teate kin) of two thirds of the standard daily amount from the 4th day, after 3 consecutive waiting days, for up to 1 year and 6 months in total from the start of payment.

Paid leave, holidays and social insurance

Paid annual leave begins after 6 months of continuous service with 80% or more attendance (Labor Standards Act article 39). Japan has 16 national holidays under the National Holidays Act, but private employers are not legally required to give them off. Employer social insurance is 15.70% at JPY 500,000 a month in Tokyo (16.51% for employees aged 40 to 64), as the Japan employer cost guide shows line by line. Check pay against Japan's regional minimum wages and average salaries in Japan.

Japanese maternity and childcare leave through an EOR

The EOR, as the Japanese employer, files the childbirth allowance with the health insurer and the childcare leave benefit with employment insurance, and stops or reduces salary for the leave. Ask how it treats bonuses during leave, since summer and winter bonuses are customary in Japan even though no law requires them.

EOR list prices start at $99 per employee per month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) and run to $699 (Oyster); Deel lists $599, all checked October 16 and 18, 2026 (country cost index). See ranked EOR providers and compare China's 98-day maternity rule.