You’ve accepted a job in Japan, and HR sends a list headed 入社手続き with several Japanese forms. Start by noting each deadline and the company’s submission method. The list often mixes information for payroll, social insurance, tax and emergency contact purposes; fill only the forms assigned to you, and ask HR where to send sensitive identifiers rather than attaching them to an ordinary reply by guesswork.
This is the onboarding stage of the broader Working in Japan guide, which connects job listings, offers, pay records and leaving a role.
Labels on a new employee form
| Japanese | Reading | What the field asks for |
|---|---|---|
| 入社手続き／提出書類 | nyūsha tetsuzuki / teishutsu shorui | New-hire procedures / documents to submit |
| 氏名（戸籍・在留カードの表記） | shimei (koseki / zairyū kādo no hyōki) | Name as shown on the specified identity record; check HR’s instruction about spelling and order |
| 住所／生年月日 | jūsho / seinengappi | Address / date of birth |
| 緊急連絡先／続柄 | kinkyū renrakusaki / tsuzukigara | Emergency contact / your relationship to that person |
| 給与振込口座 | kyūyo furikomi kōza | Bank account for salary payment |
| 金融機関名／支店名／口座番号／口座名義 | kin’yū kikanmei / shitenmei / kōza bangō / kōza meigi | Bank / branch / account number / account holder name |
| 基礎年金番号 | kiso nenkin bangō | Basic pension number, if requested for the applicable procedure |
| 個人番号（マイナンバー） | kojin bangō (Mai Nanbā) | Individual number for specified tax or social insurance procedures |
| 雇用保険被保険者証 | koyō hoken hihokensha-shō | Employment insurance certificate, relevant if you were previously enrolled |
| 扶養家族／被扶養者 | fuyō kazoku / hifuyōsha | Family members for tax or health insurance purposes; criteria differ |
| 提出期限／差戻し | teishutsu kigen / sashimodoshi | Submission deadline / returned for correction |
Not every worker receives the same forms. For example, a bank account form and an emergency contact form are company paperwork, while social insurance and tax forms depend on the worker’s circumstances and the relevant rules.
Work through the packet in this order
- Make a small checklist. Write down the required form, deadline, whether it is an upload or paper submission, and whether HR asks to see an original. A button marked 一時保存 may save a draft without submitting it.
- Check names and numbers against the actual records. Use the exact information requested for your bank account and identity documents. If your name has different scripts or order on a bank account and residence card, ask HR how to enter each field before submitting.
- Confirm which insurance identifiers apply. For eligible employee health insurance and pension enrollment, the Japan Pension Service explains the new employee and employer steps; it lists a basic pension number notice or presentation of a My Number card in the applicable procedure. If you had previous employment insurance, ask whether HR needs your 雇用保険被保険者証. Do not invent a number when you do not have the document.
- Use the company’s designated channel for My Number. Employers handle it for specific tax and social insurance tasks. The Personal Information Protection Commission’s guidance describes how employers specify its permitted use. Ask HR which secure portal or in-person method it has designated.
- Check the emergency contact with the person named. Confirm their current phone number, country code if overseas, availability and relationship label. If the form assumes a Japanese phone number or address you cannot supply, ask HR how it wants an overseas contact entered.
- Review and submit. Save the submission confirmation and answer a 差戻し request promptly. Keep a copy of your working-conditions notice separately so you can check the agreed schedule and pay.
Short Japanese questions to HR
- 緊急連絡先は海外在住の家族でもよいですか。
Kinkyū renrakusaki wa kaigai zaijū no kazoku demo yoi desu ka.
Can I list a family member who lives overseas as my emergency contact? - 口座名義の表記が在留カードと異なります。どのように入力すればよいですか。
Kōza meigi no hyōki ga zairyū kādo to kotonarimasu. Dono yō ni nyūryoku sureba yoi desu ka.
My bank account name is written differently from my residence card. How should I enter it? - マイナンバーはどの方法で提出すればよいですか。
Mai nanbā wa dono hōhō de teishutsu sureba yoi desu ka.
How should I submit my My Number? - 雇用保険被保険者証が手元にありません。どうすればよいですか。
Koyō hoken hihokensha-shō ga temoto ni arimasen. Dō sureba yoi desu ka.
I do not have my employment insurance certificate with me. What should I do?
After onboarding: the records to check next
The forms you submit on day one start several separate processes. Save the HR instructions and confirmation, then open the relevant guide when its document or message arrives:
- Insurance: If you joined workplace health insurance after being on municipal National Health Insurance, read how to check the municipal withdrawal procedure. For employment insurance, see which enrollment documents to ask HR about. The two systems are different.
- Work records: Learn your employer’s time clock or attendance app and check a shift schedule before your first week.
- First payment: Compare the agreed conditions with your first payslip. If a line or calculation is unclear, ask payroll for its basis.
- Later in the year: Read the employer’s year-end tax adjustment request, then use the annual withholding statement guide when that document is issued.
First-week notices: where to go next
Your HR packet and your first-week messages serve different purposes. Read the first-day email for arrival time, entrance and contact person; the employee ID and entry-card guide for access and reporting a lost pass; and a training notice for whether a course is required, its deadline and how to record the time. A workplace health-check notice has its own appointment and preparation instructions. Check each message against your employer’s current process.
For the terms you should have checked before starting, return to the notice of working conditions guide. Use your employer’s current instructions for its own forms and deadlines.
Two easy mix-ups
Emergency contact is not automatically a guarantor. 緊急連絡先 asks who the employer can contact in an emergency. If a separate form says 身元保証人, ask HR what obligation it creates before signing or asking someone else to sign.
Tax and health insurance “dependents” are not one checkbox. 扶養-related fields can serve different procedures and eligibility rules. Ask which form the question belongs to, especially if a family member lives outside Japan. When year-end tax forms arrive later, our 年末調整 guide explains those labels.
