To claim, a person must have been insured for at least 12 months in the two years before leaving, or six months in the past year if the job ended for company reasons, and must be able and willing to work. They register at Hello Work with the separation notice from their employer, wait seven days, and then attend regular appointments to show they are looking for work.
The daily amount is a percentage of average daily wages over the last six months, from 80% for the lowest earners down to 50% for higher earners, and 45% for some aged 60 to 64. It is capped by age band. From 1 August 2026 the highest cap, for ages 45 to 59, is 9,110 yen a day, and the minimum is 2,562 yen; the caps are reset each August in line with average wages.
How long it lasts depends heavily on the reason for leaving. People who resign for their own reasons receive 90 to 150 days depending on years insured, and since April 2025 wait one month after the initial seven days before payment starts, three months if they resigned voluntarily twice in five years. People who lost their job for company reasons, such as dismissal, redundancy or a strongly encouraged resignation, start sooner and receive up to 330 days.
What it means for a foreign employer
- The reason code is negotiated. Whether a departure is recorded as for company reasons is often part of a separation agreement, because it brings faster and longer benefit. Agree it in writing.
- It is small for senior people. At around 9,000 yen a day at most, the benefit replaces a modest share of an executive's pay. It does not reduce what a fair separation package needs to cover.
- Fast reemployment is rewarded. Someone who finds a new job early receives a lump sum for part of the unused entitlement, so candidates between jobs may be keen to start quickly.
- Board directors are generally not covered. A senior hire moving from a board seat may have no entitlement at all.
Sources
- Employment Insurance Act, Articles 13, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23 and 33.
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, change in the basic allowance daily amounts from 1 August 2026.
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, guidance on the April 2025 shortening of the benefit restriction period.