Japanese Resignation Letter (Taishoku Todoke): Template and the 5 Things to File After You Quit

If you work in Japan and you are about to change jobs, the resignation letter is the easy part. What catches people is everything that comes after it: a notification to Immigration with a 14-day deadline, a handful of documents you need to collect before your last day, and two tax questions that depend on which month you leave.

This guide puts it all in order. It is written for people who already live and work in Japan, who do their work in Japanese, and who have a new job lined up or are close to it. Section 2 has a copy-and-paste template for both kinds of resignation letter. Section 6 has the full checklist.

1. Before you write anything: taishoku negai vs. taishoku todoke

Japanese companies use two different documents, and the name on the paper changes what it means.

退職願 (taishoku negai) is a request to resign. You are asking the company to accept your resignation on a proposed date. Until the company accepts it, you can withdraw it.

退職届 (taishoku todoke) is a notification. You are informing the company that you will leave on a given date. Once it reaches the company, it is treated as final.

In practice, most people do this in three steps. First, tell your manager in person (or in a one-to-one call) that you intend to leave, and agree on a date. Second, hand in the written letter. Third, follow the company's own process, which may include its own form.

Which letter you hand in is less important than the timing. The Civil Code says that an employee on a contract with no fixed term can give notice at any time, and the employment ends two weeks after the notice (Civil Code, Article 627). Most companies also set a notice period in their work rules (就業規則), often one month or more. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's own guidance for foreign workers says the same thing in plain terms: read the work rules first, then talk through the timing with your employer (Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners). If you are on a fixed-term contract, different rules apply, so check your contract before you set a date.

A practical rule: give at least the notice period in your work rules, hand in the letter the same day you and your manager agree on the date, and keep a copy.

2. The template

Both letters follow the same layout. Traditionally they are handwritten in vertical script on plain white paper, but many companies now accept a printed, horizontally written version. If your company has its own form, use that instead.

Here is the resignation notification (退職届). Replace the parts in 〇.

退職届

私儀

このたび、一身上の都合により、
令和〇年〇月〇日をもって退職いたします。

令和〇年〇月〇日

〇〇部 〇〇課
氏名　〇〇 〇〇　㊞

株式会社〇〇
代表取締役社長　〇〇 〇〇 殿

The resignation request (退職願) is identical except for the title and the last sentence of the body:

退職願

私儀

このたび、一身上の都合により、
令和〇年〇月〇日をもって退職いたしたく、
ここにお願い申し上げます。

（date, department, name, company and addressee: same as above）

Line by line:

Japanese	Reading	What it means
私儀	watakushigi	"Regarding myself." A fixed opening; written at the bottom of the first column in vertical layout.
このたび	kono tabi	"At this time."
一身上の都合により	isshinjō no tsugō ni yori	"For personal reasons." This is the standard reason. You do not need to give a real one.
令和〇年〇月〇日をもって	Reiwa 〇-nen 〇-gatsu 〇-nichi o motte	"As of [date]." The last day of employment. Use the Japanese era year (Reiwa 8 = 2026).
退職いたします	taishoku itashimasu	"I will resign." (todoke)
退職いたしたく、ここにお願い申し上げます	taishoku itashitaku, koko ni onegai mōshiagemasu	"I would like to resign and respectfully request it." (negai)
殿	dono	The honorific used after the addressee's name on formal documents.

Address the letter to the company's representative (usually 代表取締役社長), not to your manager, even if you hand it to your manager. Sign your name and add your seal (印鑑) if you have one; a signature alone is accepted at many companies.

Put the letter in a plain white envelope. Write 退職届 (or 退職願) on the front, and your department and name on the back, lower left. Seal it and write 〆 over the flap.

3. What to collect from your employer before your last day

Several documents only your employer can give you. Ask for them before your last day so you are not chasing them from outside.

Document	Japanese	What you need it for
Separation notice	離職票 (rishoku-hyō)	Claiming unemployment benefits at Hello Work, if you have a gap before the next job. Issued after you leave, usually by post.
Employment insurance card	雇用保険被保険者証	Your new employer needs the number to continue your employment insurance.
Withholding tax slip	源泉徴収票 (gensen chōshū-hyō)	Year-end tax adjustment at the new company (Section 5). Issued after your final salary.
Pension number	年金手帳 or 基礎年金番号通知書	Your new employer needs your basic pension number.
Certificate of employment	退職証明書	Optional. Some new employers or immigration procedures ask for proof of your previous job. Under the Labor Standards Act you can request one and the employer must issue it without delay.

You also return things: your health insurance card (健康保険証) and any company property. Your health insurance under the old company ends on the day after you leave, so do not plan a hospital visit on the old card.

4. Within 14 days: tell Immigration

This is the step with a legal deadline, and it is the one people miss.

If you hold a work-related status of residence, you must notify the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) within 14 days when your contract with your employer ends, and again within 14 days when you sign a contract with a new one. These are two separate events with two separate deadlines, although there is a combined form if both happen at the same time.

Which notification you file depends on your status of residence:

Notification of the contracting organization (所属（契約）機関に関する届出) — for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務), Highly Skilled Professional (i)(a) and (i)(b), Researcher, Nursing Care, Skilled Labor, Specified Skilled Worker and a few others. Official page: ISA, 所属（契約）機関に関する届出.
Notification of the activity organization (所属（活動）機関に関する届出) — for Professor, Business Manager, Intra-company Transferee, Instructor, Student and others. Official page: ISA, 所属（活動）機関に関する届出.

Three ways to file, from the same pages:

Online through the ISA Electronic Notification System, 24 hours a day. The first time, you register as a user; the ISA publishes an English operation manual as a PDF on the pages above. No supporting documents are required.
In person at your regional immigration office, with your residence card.
By post to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau, with a copy of your residence card and "NOTIFICATION ENCLOSED" written in red on the envelope. The ISA does not confirm receipt of posted notifications, so use a tracked service.

Two things this notification does not do. It does not change your status of residence: if your new job is a different kind of work, you may need a change of status instead, and if you are unsure whether the new job fits your current status, you can apply for a Certificate of Authorized Employment (就労資格証明書). And it does not extend your period of stay; your existing expiry date still applies.

One more rule that matters if you leave without a new job: a status of residence can be revoked if you do not engage in its activities for three months or more without a justifiable reason (ISA, 在留資格の取消し). Job hunting generally counts as a justifiable reason, but a long gap is worth a conversation with Immigration or a licensed immigration specialist (行政書士).

This section is general information, not legal advice. Check the ISA pages linked above, or consult a licensed immigration specialist, for your own situation.

5. Taxes and insurance: three things that depend on your resignation month

Resident tax (住民税)

Resident tax on last year's income is deducted from your salary in twelve installments from June to May. When you leave, the remaining installments have to be paid somehow, and the rule depends on the month.

Leave between 1 January and 30 April: the employer is required to deduct the remaining balance in one lump sum from your final salary or retirement pay. Expect a smaller last paycheck.
Leave between 1 June and 31 December: you choose. You can ask for a lump-sum deduction, switch to paying the balance yourself with slips from your city office (普通徴収), or ask the new employer to continue the deductions (特別徴収) if you start soon enough.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Taxation, 特別徴収にかかる手続きについて. Other prefectures follow the same national rule.

Year-end tax adjustment (年末調整)

If you start the new job in the same calendar year, give the new employer the withholding tax slip (源泉徴収票) from the old one. The new employer then combines both salaries and does the year-end adjustment for you in December. If you cannot provide the slip, the new employer cannot do the adjustment and you file your own tax return (確定申告) between mid-February and mid-March instead. The same applies if you leave a job and do not start a new one by December. Source: National Tax Agency, Tax Answer No. 2674 and No. 1910.

If there is a gap between jobs

If even one day separates your last day and your first day, two systems need you to act. Within 14 days of leaving, enrol in National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) and National Pension (国民年金) at your city or ward office; your new employer moves you back to employee insurance when you start. If you want unemployment benefits, take the separation notice from Section 3 to Hello Work. For people who resign by their own choice, benefits start after a 7-day waiting period plus a restriction period of one month in principle for separations on or after 1 April 2025 (MHLW notice, PDF).

Tax and insurance rules are general information. For your own numbers, a licensed tax accountant (税理士) or labor and social security attorney (社会保険労務士) can advise you.

6. Checklist: from "I'm leaving" to day one at the new job

When	What	Who
1–2 months before your last day	Read the notice period in your work rules. Tell your manager in person. Agree on a date.	You
Same day as the agreement	Hand in 退職届 (or 退職願 if the company prefers). Keep a copy.	You
Last 2 weeks	Ask HR when you will receive 離職票, 源泉徴収票 and 雇用保険被保険者証. Get a 退職証明書 if you need one. Return the health insurance card.	You and HR
Within 14 days of the contract ending	Notify Immigration that your contract has ended (online, in person or by post).	You
Within 14 days of leaving, if there is a gap	Enrol in National Health Insurance and National Pension at the city office. Take 離職票 to Hello Work if you want benefits.	You
Within 14 days of the new contract	Notify Immigration of the new contracting organization (or use the combined form).	You
First week at the new job	Hand over 源泉徴収票, 雇用保険被保険者証 and your pension number. Tell payroll how you want resident tax handled.	You and new HR
November–December	Confirm the new employer is doing your year-end adjustment with both salaries. If not, prepare to file your own return in February–March.	You

Keep going

Changing jobs in Japanese is a skill in itself, and the paperwork is only part of it. If you want to see openings where business-level Japanese is the point rather than a hurdle, the immit jobs newsletter sends a hand-picked list every two weeks. Subscribe here.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Laws and procedures change; the official pages linked above are the authority.

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