Labor and Employment

Wada & Watanabe provides advice to companies facing personnel and labor issues as they do business in Japan. In addition to drafting employment-related agreements (such as employment contracts, reassignment contracts, executive contracts) and labor-related rules (such as rules of employment, wage rules, childcare and nursing leave rules, agreements for variable working hour systems), we also provide advice concerning changes to employment conditions such as wages, overtime, and paid leave, as well as the dismissal of employees, restructuring, and early retirement. Also, we represent employers before labor tribunals and in labor-related lawsuits. Recent cases include matters with clients in the air cargo, music and publishing industries.

Advice and Analysis Concerning Employer-side Personnel and Labor Issues (Foreign Affiliated Companies)

• Cancellation of provisional job offers, changes to working conditions (wages, overtime, leave), dismissal or termination of employment contracts (regular employees, fixed-term employees, part time workers, temporary employees), restructuring, early retirement, invitations to take early retirement, and the dismissal of executives.
• Leaking of business secrets, white collar crime.

Litigation, Labor Provisional Dispositions, Labor Tribunals (Employer's Side)

Demotions, disciplinary punishments, dismissal, work-related accidents, claims for overtime.

Collective Bargaining with Labor Unions, Various Labor Relations Commission Procedures (Relief Procedures Against Unfair Labor Practices)

Labor-Related Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions

Preparation of Personnel-Related Contracts (Japanese and English)

Employment agreements (regular employee, fixed-term employment, part-time, temporary workers, foreigners), worker dispatch agreements, temporary transfer agreements, continued employment agreements, directors agreements, contractor agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and internship agreements.

Preparation of All Types of Labor-Related Documents (Japanese and English)

Rules of employment for regular and part-time employees, wage rules, retirement allowance rules, childcare and nursing rules, Article 36 Agreements, agreements concerning continued employment, agreements concerning variable working hour systems, work conditions notifications, retirement certificates, and grounds for dismissal certificates.