A Japanese email asks you to complete a company training course by Friday, but you do not know whether it is required or when to do it. Check 対象者 (who must take it), 受講期限 (completion deadline), the delivery method and how your working time will be recorded. If the message is unclear, ask your manager before doing a long course at home after your shift.
Japanese words in a training notice
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 研修案内 | けんしゅうあんない (kenshū annai) | Training notice |
| 受講対象者 | じゅこうたいしょうしゃ (jukō taishōsha) | People who should take the course |
| 必須／任意 | ひっす／にんい (hissu / nin’i) | Required / optional |
| 受講期間／受講期限 | じゅこうきかん／じゅこうきげん | Available period / completion deadline |
| 集合研修／オンライン研修 | しゅうごうけんしゅう／オンラインけんしゅう | In-person group / online training |
| 事前課題 | じぜんかだい (jizen kadai) | Pre-course task |
| 受講申込／出欠回答 | じゅこうもうしこみ／しゅっけつかいとう | Registration / attendance reply |
| 修了／未修了 | しゅうりょう／みしゅうりょう | Completed / incomplete |
| 確認テスト／修了証 | かくにんテスト／しゅうりょうしょう | Knowledge check / completion certificate |
| 勤務時間内／時間外 | きんむじかんない／じかんがい | During scheduled work / outside scheduled hours |
“Recommended” language may not tell you whether attendance is optional in practice. A deadline in an e-learning portal does not tell you how to record the time. Confirm both points with your supervisor or HR.
What to do when the notice arrives
- Read the action and deadline. Is it an 申込 deadline, an 出欠回答 deadline or a 受講期限 by which the course must be finished? Put the correct date on your calendar.
- Confirm eligibility and access. Check whether you are a 受講対象者, how to log in, and whether a test or certificate is needed. Use the company-approved account; do not send a password to a colleague.
- Set aside working time. Ask when you may attend, how to log the time and whether approval is needed if the available sessions fall outside your schedule. Our time clock guide helps with Japanese attendance labels, while the overtime request guide explains an employer’s approval workflow.
- Keep a completion record. Save the portal’s 修了 screen or certificate if requested. Tell the organizer promptly if access fails before the deadline.
Is required training working time?
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s working-time guideline says that training or education required for work, and study necessary for work at the employer’s direction, counts as working time. The facts matter more than a portal’s “voluntary” label. Ask how to schedule and record it; do not assume that a course completed at home is automatically unpaid or automatically overtime. The official overtime guidance explains the broader rules for work beyond scheduled hours.
An independently chosen optional course can be different. If the invitation says 任意 but your manager expects completion, ask directly whether it is required and how the time is treated. This article addresses employees; a contractor’s arrangement should be checked against their agreement.
Useful Japanese questions
- この研修は必須ですか、任意ですか。
Kono kenshū wa hissu desu ka, nin’i desu ka.
Is this training required or optional? - 受講期限と、確認テストの有無を教えてください。
Jukō kigen to, kakunin tesuto no umu o oshiete kudasai.
Please tell me the completion deadline and whether there is a test. - 勤務時間内に受講する時間を確保できますか。
Kinmu jikan-nai ni jukō suru jikan o kakuho dekimasu ka.
Can I set aside time to take it during work hours? - 受講時間は勤怠にどのように記録しますか。
Jukō jikan wa kintai ni dono yō ni kiroku shimasu ka.
How should I record training time in the attendance system? - ログインできないため、受講方法を確認したいです。
Roguin dekinai tame, jukō hōhō o kakunin shitai desu.
I cannot log in, so I would like to check how to access the course.
If a session conflicts with an approved shift or leave, contact the organizer before the deadline and ask for another session or a documented alternative. For schedule terminology, see our Japanese shift schedule guide. If this is part of your first-week tasks, the new employee forms guide connects training to the other documents you may receive.
