Japanese Government Office Holidays and Filing Deadlines
City halls and national government offices in Japan follow a fixed holiday schedule set by law. Knowing it helps you avoid a wasted trip, and knowing the deadline rule tells you whether a deadline that falls on a closed day actually moves. Here is how it works, with dates for 2026 and 2027.
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Closed days are set by law
Article 1 of the Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs lists three kinds of closed days for national government offices: Saturdays and Sundays, holidays under the National Holidays Act, and December 29 through January 3.
Prefectures and municipalities set their own closed days by ordinance under Article 4-2 of the Local Autonomy Act. These cover weekends, national holidays, and year-end and New Year days chosen by the ordinance. Most adopt the same December 29 to January 3 period, but the exact range depends on each local ordinance. The law also allows a local holiday for a day of special historical significance to residents, after consultation with the national government.
- Saturdays and Sundays
- National holidays, substitute holidays and in-between "citizens' holidays"
- Year-end and New Year: December 29 to January 3 for national offices; set by ordinance locally
Substitute holidays and in-between holidays
Article 3 of the National Holidays Act adds two kinds of holidays. When a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day that is not a holiday becomes a substitute holiday. A weekday sandwiched between two national holidays also becomes a holiday. Government offices close on both.
2026 has one of each. Constitution Day, May 3, is a Sunday, so May 6 (Wednesday) is a substitute holiday and offices are closed from May 2 to May 6. In September, Tuesday the 22nd falls between Respect for the Aged Day (21st) and the Autumnal Equinox Day (23rd), giving a five-day closure from September 19 to 23. In 2027, the Vernal Equinox Day falls on Sunday, March 21, so Monday, March 22 is a substitute holiday.
The New Year closure, 2026 to 2027
The year-end break runs from December 29 to January 3 whatever the weekday. In 2026, December 29 is a Tuesday, so the last open day is Monday, December 28 and offices reopen on Monday, January 4, 2027. With the weekend before, counters are effectively closed for nine days, from December 26 to January 3.
December 2026 has 20 open days and January 2027 has 19. Many municipalities still accept some family-register filings, such as birth and death registrations, through an after-hours desk during the break, but processing usually waits until offices reopen.
When a deadline falls on a closed day
Article 2 of the Act on Holidays of Administrative Organs says that when a deadline for an application or notification to a national authority, set by law or regulation as a period such as "within 14 days," falls on a closed day, the deadline becomes the day after. Article 4-2(4) of the Local Autonomy Act applies the same rule to local authorities.
In practice, the deadline moves to the first open day after the closure. A deadline on Monday, September 21, 2026 moves to Thursday, September 24, because the 22nd and 23rd are also holidays. One on Saturday, January 2, 2027 moves to Monday, January 4.
There are limits. Periods measured in hours are excluded, and another law can override the rule. Tax filing and payment deadlines follow their own rule in the Act on General Rules for National Taxes, which also moves deadlines falling on Saturdays and December 29 to 31. Private contracts follow the Civil Code. Rules for mail and online submissions also vary, so check the specific procedure.
Weekend counters, convenience stores and counting open days
Many municipalities open on some weekends in late March and early April, when moving-related filings peak, and some extend counter hours on certain evenings. Where supported, residence certificates and similar documents can be printed at convenience-store multifunction machines with a My Number Card, often on closed days too, though service pauses for maintenance and around New Year.
Processing times are sometimes stated in open days. November 2026 has 19: 30 days minus 9 weekend days, minus Culture Day (Tuesday the 3rd) and Labor Thanksgiving Day (Monday the 23rd). Across New Year the gap grows. Counting ten open days from Monday, December 21, 2026 (starting the next day) lands on Friday, January 8, 2027, while ten calendar days would be December 31. The business days calculator below counts open days over any period if you exclude weekends and holidays.