You receive an email headed 採用内定のお知らせ after interviewing in Japan. Before replying “I accept,” check the response deadline and proposed start date, then ask for the written working conditions if they are missing. Compare the job, location, pay and schedule with what you discussed. Save the offer and your reply.
Words in an offer message
| Japanese | Reading | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 採用内定／内定 | さいようないてい／ないてい | Job offer or decision to hire; its legal effect depends on the circumstances |
| 内々定 | ないないてい (nainai tei) | Informal advance indication of an offer |
| 内定通知書 | ないていつうちしょ (naitei tsūchisho) | Written offer notice |
| 入社予定日 | にゅうしゃよていび (nyūsha yoteibi) | Proposed employment start date |
| 回答期限／承諾期限 | かいとうきげん／しょうだくきげん | Deadline to reply / accept |
| 承諾／辞退 | しょうだく／じたい | Acceptance / declining |
| 雇用形態 | こようけいたい (koyō keitai) | Employment type |
| 労働条件通知書 | ろうどうじょうけんつうちしょ | Written notice of working conditions |
| 提出書類 | ていしゅつしょるい | Documents to submit |
Employers use different titles and email templates. Do not assume that an email labeled 内々定 has no consequences, or that a short congratulatory note contains every employment term. The surrounding communications and agreement matter.
A practical reply sequence
- Read the deadline. Note whether the message asks only to acknowledge receipt, to confirm interest, or to accept by 回答期限. Ask for an extension before the deadline if you need time to check the terms.
- Compare the core terms. Check the employer, role, employment type, contract term, work location and its possible changes, working hours, pay, allowances, leave and start date. Our working conditions notice guide explains the detailed fields.
- Ask for missing terms in writing. A job ad and interview notes are useful comparisons; the Japanese job listing guide helps identify the wording. If figures or locations differ, name the exact difference and request clarification before replying.
- Respond clearly and save it. State whether you accept, decline or need clarification. If you accept subject to a point being resolved, say so explicitly rather than sending an unqualified acceptance. Keep copies of the notice, attachments and response.
Japanese phrases for the reply
- 内定のご連絡をありがとうございます。労働条件通知書を確認させていただけますか。
Naitei no go-renraku o arigatō gozaimasu. Rōdō jōken tsūchisho o kakunin sasete itadakemasu ka.
Thank you for the offer. May I review the written working conditions? - 入社予定日と勤務地について確認したい点があります。
Nyūsha yoteibi to kinmuchi ni tsuite kakunin shitai ten ga arimasu.
I have questions about the start date and work location. - 回答期限を○月○日まで延長していただくことは可能でしょうか。
Kaitō kigen o ○-gatsu ○-nichi made enchō shite itadaku koto wa kanō deshō ka.
Would it be possible to extend the response deadline until [date]? - 提示いただいた労働条件を確認し、内定を承諾いたします。
Teiji itadaita rōdō jōken o kakunin shi, naitei o shōdaku itashimasu.
Having reviewed the offered terms, I accept the offer. - 慎重に検討した結果、今回は内定を辞退いたします。
Shinchō ni kentō shita kekka, konkai wa naitei o jitai itashimasu.
After careful consideration, I decline this offer.
What does an offer mean legally?
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explains that when an employment contract is formed at the offer stage, working conditions must be disclosed then. Its Q&A on offers and withdrawals explains that whether an offer has formed a contract depends on the circumstances. Avoid treating “naitei” as a universal, automatic rule for every email.
At contract formation, key conditions must be made clear, and certain items require written or permitted electronic disclosure, as the ministry’s working-conditions Q&A explains. If a significant term changed between the job ad and the offer, ask for a written explanation. Do not resign from an existing job or relocate based solely on an unclear start date or an undocumented pay figure.
Once the terms are settled, our new employee forms guide covers the paperwork that may follow acceptance. If a probation period appears in the terms, read our probation period guide before signing. Our Working in Japan guide places the offer within the full path from listing to first pay.
