Use the labour tribunal (rōdō shinpan) in Japan
A three-session procedure before a judge and two lay members that resolves individual employment disputes far faster than ordinary litigation.
- Timeline
- About three months, typically three hearings
- Cost
- Court fees scaled to claim value; roughly half of ordinary litigation
- Steps
- 6 stages
Deadline — read this first
No fixed tribunal deadline, but wage claims are subject to a three-year prescription period.
Who can file
Individual employees or employers in a civil employment dispute. Collective disputes are excluded.
Step by step
- 1
Prepare the petition
Set out the facts, the legal basis and the relief sought, attaching the key documents at the outset.
- 2
File at the district court
The labour tribunal sits within the district court covering the workplace.
- 3
First session
The panel identifies the issues and hears both parties, often forming a provisional view quickly.
- 4
Second and third sessions
Evidence is clarified and the panel actively proposes settlement terms.
- 5
Receive the tribunal decision
If no settlement is reached, the panel issues a determination.
- 6
Object within two weeks if needed
An objection converts the matter into ordinary civil litigation from the date of filing.
Documents you must produce
- Employment contract and rules of employment (shūgyō kisoku)
- Pay records and time records
- Dismissal or non-renewal notice
- Correspondence with the employer
Common mistakes that sink cases
- Treating the first session lightly; the panel forms its view early and it is hard to shift.
- Objecting to the determination without appreciating that litigation restarts the timeline and cost.
- Omitting the rules of employment, which usually govern the disputed entitlement.
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