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Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this video on Maternity and Childcare Leave in Japan.

We have 4 videos explaining the Maternity and Childcare Leave system.
 • Overview
 • Eligibility and Schedule
 • Benefits
 • Document Filing

This video is the overview.
In Japan, employees are entitled to take leave for the birth of a child, and receive government financial support and exemptions from social insurance payments.

Leave schedule (0:58)
Birth mothers can take maternity leave from 6 weeks before their due date, until 8 weeks after the birth date. In the case of multiple births such as twins, the leave before the due date is extended to 14 weeks. The leave before the due date is not mandatory, but the company must grant it if the mother requests it. The leave after birth is mandatory but may be shortened with a doctors permission. After maternity leave, the mother begins childcare leave, until the day before the baby's 1st birthday. Fathers can also take childcare leave from the day the baby is born, until the day before the baby's 1st birthday. At the end of Childcare Leave, it is customary to enroll a child in nursery school. If there is no authorized nursery available at that time, childcare leave can be extended for up to 12 months.

Benefits (2:16)
A delivery allowance of 420,000 yen per child is paid to the birth mother to cover medical expenses. Maternity leave benefit is paid to the mother as a lump sum at the end of the maternity leave period. The benefit is 2/3 of the mothers average standard salary for each day of leave. The maximum amount is 926,610 yen. Mothers and fathers are eligible for Childcare leave benefit. It is paid every two months. For the first 6 months of childcare leave, childcare leave benefit is 67% of monthly salary to a maximum of 305,721 yen per month. After 6 months, it becomes 50% of monthly salary to a maximum of 228,150 yen per month. To get an estimate of your Maternity and Childcare leave benefit amounts, use the calculator available on our website.

Tax and social insurance contributions (3:32)
Employees are exempt from social insurance contributions during maternity and childcare leave. They will still be insured and their pension will not be affected. However local tax must still be paid. It needs to be changed from being withheld from salary to being paid directly by the employee.

Document filing (3:58)
Over the maternity and childcare leave periods, there are up to 21 document filings to be made to four government offices using 13 different forms and 9 supporting documents. HTM's HR service manages all of these filings. For a more detailed explanation on Maternity and Childcare Leave in Japan, please watch our more in-depth videos. Thank you for watching.