Maternity and Parental Leave in Japan: Ikukyu and What Working Parents Can Take
Updated: 2026-09-04
Quick answer
Hi, I'm Miya, your friendly guide here at GetConnectedJapan. If you are working in Japan and expecting a baby, there are two kinds of leave to know about: maternity leave around the birth (often called sankyu) and childcare leave that comes afterward (called ikukyu). Both mothers and fathers can take childcare leave.
While you are off, you are usually not left without income: a leave benefit is paid through the employment insurance system rather than by your company directly. This article is a plain-language map of how it all fits together so you can plan. For your exact eligibility and figures, always check with your employer's HR and official government guidance.
Maternity leave (sankyu): around the birth
Maternity leave covers the period shortly before the due date and the weeks right after childbirth. The time before birth is generally something you request, while the time immediately after birth is treated as a protected rest period so your body can recover.
This leave is tied to the birth itself and is specifically for the person giving birth. The exact number of weeks and how the before-and-after periods are counted are set by law and by your workplace rules, so ask HR to walk you through the dates that apply to you.
Childcare leave (ikukyu): after the birth
Childcare leave, or ikukyu, is the longer stretch of time off to care for your child once the maternity period ends. It is a different program from maternity leave, with its own application and its own benefit, and it can continue well into your child's first year.
Because it is about raising the child rather than recovering from birth, ikukyu is open to parents of any gender. You apply through your employer, who coordinates with the insurance system on your behalf.
Both parents can take it
One of the most helpful things to understand is that fathers can take childcare leave too, not just mothers. Japan has been steadily expanding the ways partners can share time at home, including flexible options for fathers to take leave in the early weeks after the birth.
Splitting or overlapping leave between two parents is possible, and how you divide it is a planning choice for your family. If you both work, compare notes with each of your HR departments early so the two timelines line up.
The leave benefit through employment insurance
During childcare leave, an income-replacement benefit is generally paid through the employment insurance system, not as ordinary salary from your company. This is why HR and the government both stay involved: your employer files, and the insurance side confirms and pays.
Eligibility usually depends on things like how long you have been enrolled in employment insurance and your working pattern. There are also arrangements that can ease certain contributions while you are on leave. I am not going to quote figures here because they change and depend on your situation, so treat the official guidance and your HR as the source of truth.
How to start the process
Start by telling your employer as early as you comfortably can. Early notice gives HR time to prepare the paperwork, arrange cover for your role, and explain the deadlines for each application.
Keep your key documents in one place, note the dates HR gives you, and confirm how each benefit will be paid and when. If anything in a form is unclear, ask rather than guess, because small timing details can affect when a benefit starts.
A few common questions
Can I take leave if I recently changed jobs or work part time? It depends on your insurance history and hours, so this is exactly the kind of thing to confirm with HR rather than assume. Can both parents receive a benefit? Often yes, when each parent independently meets the conditions for their own leave.
What if plans change after the baby arrives? Leave arrangements can sometimes be adjusted, but the rules and windows matter, so raise changes with HR promptly. None of this is legal advice; it is a starting map to help you ask better questions.
Keep your Japanese number active through it all
Here is a practical thread that runs through everything above: your leave applications and benefit confirmations move through HR portals and the employment-insurance system, and those systems verify who you are using your phone. Login codes, reminders, and status updates land on your Japanese number, so keeping it active is quietly part of arranging your leave.
If you have just arrived, sorting out a Japanese number and data early makes this smoother. The contract needs your residence card, which is issued after you land, so you set it up once you are here. With an eSIM you can activate the same day in about fifteen minutes, with no store visit, so your number is ready when the forms start. I am an image character, not a Rakuten employee, but I am glad to point you toward getting connected so the admin side of parenthood is one less worry.
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