Japanese resignation notice (退職届・退職願)
The form a Japanese employer expects, filled in and set vertically.
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Example
Leaving on 31 March 2027: a 退職届 filled in, field by field
Jordan Lee, who works in the sales department (営業部) of a Japanese company, has agreed with the manager to leave at the end of March and hands the notice in on 26 February. Chosen: 退職届, 一身上の都合, Japanese era dates, vertical writing, A4.
| Field | Typed | On the paper |
|---|---|---|
| Which paper | 退職届 | 退職届, the title in the right-hand column |
| Last day of employment | 2027-03-31 | 令和九年三月三十一日, inside the sentence |
| Date you hand it in | 2027-02-26 | 令和九年二月二十六日, after the sentence |
| Department and name | 営業部, ジョーダン・リー | low on the left, a box for the seal beside the name |
| Company and addressee | 株式会社サンプル商事, 代表取締役 山田太郎 | the last column, ending 山田太郎 殿 |
After 私事, set low in its own column, the sentence reads: このたび、一身上の都合により、来る令和九年三月三十一日をもって退職いたします。 A 退職願 ends instead with 退職いたしたく、ここにお願い申し上げます。 With Western years and horizontal writing the date becomes 2027年3月31日.
How it works
- Choose 退職届 or 退職願. A 届 states a decision already agreed with your manager; a 願 asks for permission and can in principle be withdrawn.
- Fill in the last day of employment and the day you are handing the paper in — they are usually different.
- Fill in your department and name, the company, and the person it is addressed to, normally the president rather than your manager.
- Print it, seal or sign it beside your name, and hand it over in a white envelope marked 退職届.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between 退職届 and 退職願?
- A 退職願 asks the company to accept your resignation and may be withdrawn before it is accepted. A 退職届 notifies a decision that has already been agreed. Custom is to talk to your manager first, then hand in one of the two.
- Why does it say 一身上の都合 rather than the real reason?
- Because that is the convention for leaving of your own accord: the paper records that it was your decision, not the circumstances behind it. Reasons are for the conversation, not the paper. If you were made redundant, the wording is different — ask your employer.
- Which date goes where?
- There are two. The last day of employment goes inside the sentence (来る…をもって退職いたします); the day you hand the paper in is written after it, before your department and name. They are usually different — the notice goes in a few weeks before the last day.
- Can I write the year as 2027 instead of 令和9年?
- Yes: set “Dates written as” to Western years. Across the page that gives 2027年3月31日; down a vertical page the numbers are in kanji, 二〇二七年三月三十一日. With the Japanese era, 2027 is 令和九年 (令和9年).
- Does it have to be vertical and handwritten?
- Vertical is traditional and what most companies expect; horizontal is accepted at many. Printed is normal now, but seal or sign it by hand beside your name.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It prints the standard form. Notice periods, contract terms and anything unusual about your situation are matters for your contract, your employer or a labour adviser.