How to Recover Unpaid Wages in Japan Before 3 Years Run Out

Information current as of March 2026 based on official pages from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Tokyo Labour Bureau, Osaka Labour Bureau, and JOHAS.

If you are dealing with unpaid wages Japan problems, the costliest mistake is waiting. Japan’s law moved wage claims to five years in principle, but the current transitional rule still leaves ordinary wage claims and court-ordered additional payments at three years for now. Every month you spend hoping your employer will “sort payroll soon” is a month that can expire.

I wrote this as the practical guide I wish I had in my twenties. I once worked below minimum wage in the UK simply because I did not know my rights, and now I also work in legal affairs in Japan. So this is not a law-school summary. It is the action plan I would use if my salary, overtime, or final paycheck stopped coming.

Is this unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, or an illegal deduction?

Start by naming the problem correctly. Different violations need slightly different proof, and employers often hide one problem inside another.

• Unpaid wages: missing base salary, hourly pay, fixed allowances, or the last salary. Under the Labour Standards Act, wages must be paid directly, in full, at least once a month, on a fixed date.
• Unpaid overtime Japan cases: if you worked beyond the statutory limit, premium pay is usually required. The official baseline is 25% or more for overtime, 35% or more for work on a statutory rest day, 25% or more for late-night work, and 50% or more for overtime beyond 60 hours in a month.
• Illegal deduction: common examples are “sick-day fines,” lateness penalties, training-fee clawbacks, visa costs, damage charges, or deposits taken straight from wages. Japan also bans contracts that pre-set a penalty for quitting, and disciplinary wage cuts are tightly capped.
• Final paycheck Japan issues: if you resign and request payment, wages and other money or goods belonging to you should be returned within seven days.

One extra trap for foreigners is fixed overtime, often called minashi zangyo. A company can include a fixed overtime amount in pay only if it is clearly separated and explained. If your actual overtime exceeded the included hours, or the contract never clearly separated base salary from the overtime portion, you may still have a claim.

The 6 proofs to gather before you complain

Before you call any office, build one folder on your phone and one folder in the cloud. Your goal is simple: prove that there was work, a promised rate, and missing money.

1. Your contract set: employment contract, offer letter, labour conditions notice, and any company rules about salary dates, breaks, overtime, and deductions.
2. Payslips and bank records: download every payslip now. Match each one to actual deposits in your bank account.
3. Time evidence: timecards, shift rosters, work apps, PC log-in and log-out records, VPN history, delivery logs, or photos of schedules.
4. Manager instructions: email, Slack, LINE, WhatsApp, or photos showing you were told to stay late, work on days off, or start early.
5. Your calculation sheet: month by month, list hours worked, overtime owed, deductions taken, and the total unpaid amount. A simple spreadsheet is enough.
6. Company identity and exit papers: legal company name, workplace address, business card, resignation email, any notice of termination, and separation papers if you have them.

If you are still employed, collect this before your company cuts your system access. If you already quit, use screenshots, old emails, and bank records. You do not need a perfect accountant-grade calculation before speaking to the labour bureau, but you do need enough to show the pattern.

Not sure whether your evidence is enough? Ask on LO-PAL.

Where to go first in Tokyo, Osaka, and the rest of Japan

For most people, the fastest route is phone first, documents next, in-person complaint after that. The official support system is better than many foreigners expect, but it is scattered across several desks.

In Tokyo, I would usually start with FRESC if language is the main barrier and then move to the Labour Standards Inspection Office that handles the employer. In Osaka, the Osaka Labour Bureau’s foreign-worker advisory service is the cleanest official starting point, and the Osaka Prefecture Labor Consultation Center is useful when you need an interpreter by reservation. In the rest of Japan, use the MHLW foreign-language consultation page, choose your prefecture, and ask which office covers your employer’s workplace.

Three Japanese phrases that help at the desk or on the phone:

• 未払い賃金について相談したいです (Miharai chingin ni tsuite soudan shitai desu) — I would like to consult about unpaid wages.
• 残業代が支払われていません (Zangyodai ga shiharawarete imasen) — My overtime pay has not been paid.
• 退職したので、7日以内の支払いについて確認したいです (Taishoku shita node, nanoka inai no shiharai ni tsuite kakunin shitai desu) — I left the company, and I want to confirm payment within seven days.

What to do if the company stalls, goes bankrupt, or you quit

Delay is the employer’s best weapon. Your job is to turn delay into a dated paper trail.

If the company stalls: send a short written demand by email and, if possible, registered mail. State the unpaid months, your calculation, and a reply deadline. Keep every promise, excuse, and partial payment record. Japanese rules also prohibit dismissal for reporting a labour standards violation to the Labour Standards Inspection Office.

If you quit: make a written request for unpaid wages, reimbursements, and any money or goods the company still holds. Once you resign and request payment, the seven-day rule matters. Do not let the employer hide behind “our normal payroll cycle” if your final paycheck or withheld money is still missing.

If the company is bankrupt or effectively collapsed: do not assume the money is gone. JOHAS runs Japan’s replacement payment system for unpaid wages. The official guide says the enterprise must generally have been operating for at least one year, the workplace must fall under Workers’ Accident Compensation Insurance, you must have at least ¥20,000 in unpaid wages, and the procedure differs between legal bankruptcy and de facto bankruptcy. In de facto bankruptcy cases, the approval application to the director of the Labour Standards Inspection Office must be made within six months from the day after retirement.

Official guidance should come first, but real stories show why speed matters. Individual experiences vary.

One foreign resident on Reddit described salary going unpaid for 3.5 months and said they needed a translator before speaking with the labour bureau.

Another worker wrote that their contract included 36 hours of fixed overtime, but extra hours beyond that still appeared unpaid.

Quick FAQ

How long do I have to claim unpaid wages in Japan?
The law now says five years in principle, but the current transitional rule still keeps ordinary wage claims and additional payments at three years for now. That is why acting early matters.

Can my employer delay my final paycheck until next month?
Normal payroll schedules exist, but once you resign and request payment, wages and other money or goods belonging to you should be returned within seven days.

What if the company says it has no money?
Still complain, still preserve proof, and check whether the JOHAS replacement payment system applies. In collapse cases, deadlines for bankruptcy or de facto bankruptcy procedures matter.

Related Articles

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• Gensen Choshuhyo missing? What to do if your withholding tax certificate does not arrive
• How to get back on health insurance after quitting in Japan

Need More Help? Ask on LO-PAL

If language is the part slowing you down, use LO-PAL. We can help you find a local Japanese helper to call the right desk, translate your documents, or accompany you to the labour bureau so you do not lose more time.