News

Visit Waseda University’s Career Center for more information

When students receive an employment offer while job-hunting in Japan (shuukatsu in Japanese), many of them are told that they must cease all job-hunting activities once they submit their letter of acceptance. Is this really the case? In order to answer this question, allow me to introduce some relevant labor laws.

This year’s job-hunting season began earlier than usual, which means many companies are trying to secure new hires. Some companies are including clauses in their employment offers that do not coincide with labor laws. One example is something along the lines of “After submitting your letter of acceptance, changes will not be acknowledged.” A contractual agreement between employer and employee is completed when new hires receive an employment offer and submit their letter of acceptance. However, a new hire can withdrawal from the agreement after it is made, therefore allowing them to continue their job-hunting activities. (Civil Law Article 627 states that employment will be terminated two weeks after either party has requested cancellation of the contract by the other party.) Everyone is free to choose their employer and companies are not able to deny one’s request to withdrawal from a contractual agreement.

With that being said, it is important to be upfront with your potential employer and inform them of your decisions as soon as possible. Withdrawing from an employment agreement after October 1 can be especially troubling for employers.