The indefinite term conversion rule (muki tenkan rule – 無期転換ルール) means that when a fixed-term employment contract with the same company has been renewed for a total of more than five years, the contract can be converted into an employment contract with no fixed term (indefinite term employment contract) upon the employee’s request. (Article 18 of the Employment Contract Law: came into force on April 1, 2013).

In principle, everyone who has a fixed-term employment contract with a term of more than five years is eligible.

*Everyone has this right, regardless of the type of work, including “contract worker” (keiyaku shain), “part-time worker”, arubaito etc.

If a worker applies for an indefinite-term employment contract, the contract will become an indefinite-term employment contract from the day after the current fixed-term employment contract ends.

Website of the portal for the indefinite conversion of workers with fixed-term contracts (Japanese): https://muki.mhlw.go.jp/

Frequently asked questions about the rules for changing jobs for an indefinite period (MieInfo page) can be found here.

Click here to access the Handbook on the rules for converting workers with indefinite employment contracts (prepared by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare: Japanese).

Information

Mie Labor Office (Mie Roudou-kyoku) 059-226-2110 [in Japanese only].

Consultation Center for Foreign Residents in Mie (MieCo) 080-3300-8077

Languages available: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Thai, Japanese