Public holidays in Japan, 2025
Japan observes 16 nationwide public holidays in 2025. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 246 days.
Every public holiday in 2025
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 1 Jan | Wednesday | New Year's Day 元日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 13 Jan | Monday | Coming of Age Day 成人の日 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 11 Feb | Tuesday | Foundation Day 建国記念の日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 24 Feb | Monday | The Emperor's Birthday 天皇誕生日 |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 20 Mar | Thursday | Vernal Equinox Day 春分の日 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 29 Apr | Tuesday | Shōwa Day 昭和の日 |
Nationwide |
| Sat, 3 May | Saturday Weekend | Constitution Memorial Day 憲法記念日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 5 May | Monday | Children's Day こどもの日 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 6 May | Tuesday | Greenery Day みどりの日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 21 Jul | Monday | Marine Day 海の日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 11 Aug | Monday | Mountain Day 山の日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 15 Sep | Monday | Respect for the Aged Day 敬老の日 |
Nationwide |
| Tue, 23 Sep | Tuesday | Autumnal Equinox Day 秋分の日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 13 Oct | Monday | Sports Day スポーツの日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 3 Nov | Monday | Culture Day 文化の日 |
Nationwide |
| Mon, 24 Nov | Monday | Labour Thanksgiving Day 勤労感謝の日 |
Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 168 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 144 |
| March | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| May | 31 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| June | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| October | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| November | 30 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 144 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 184 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 15 | 246 | 1,968 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in Japan. Only nationwide holidays are deducted; a date observed in one region alone still counts as a working day here, because a national figure that moved with regional calendars would describe nobody accurately.
1 of this year's public holidays fall on a weekend and therefore adds no time away from work: Constitution Memorial Day (3 May). Whether these are compensated with a substitute day depends on national rules rather than on the calendar, so confirm before planning around them.
The longest working month is December at 23 days; the shortest is November at 18. That spread of 5 days matters for anything billed or accrued monthly, which is why payroll and capacity plans that assume an even year drift by the end of it. The thinnest quarter is Q1, carrying 59 working days across January, February, March.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2025, Japan's 16 nationwide holidays put it above the median of 12, around the 88th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 48.
The holidays produce 9 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 4 days, from 3 May 2025 to 6 May 2025, built around Constitution Memorial Day and Children's Day and Greenery Day. A further 4 working days are stranded between a holiday and a weekend, where one day of leave buys a break of four days or more. The full breakdown is here.
Notes on Japan
Japan has the most active substitution rules of any country covered here, and they work in three
ways. Under the Happy Monday System several holidays are fixed to a particular Monday rather than
to a calendar date. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following working day becomes a
substitute holiday. And when a single working day is trapped between two holidays, that day
becomes a holiday as well.
The combined effect is that Japan rarely loses a holiday to the weekend, and the working year is
very stable.
Two major shutdown periods sit outside the official list. Golden Week from late April into early
May is built on genuine public holidays and is reflected here. Obon in mid August is not: it is
customary rather than statutory, most of the country stops, and none of it appears in these
figures.