In the Japanese Labour Standards Law, work rules shuugyo kisoku are legally enforceable. Any business that has 10 or more employees must produce a work rule book. Work rules should, at a minimum, define the details for these three areas: a) working hours, b) wages, and c) termination of work including discharge and retirement. These are called the necessary factors that should be described in the work rule book.

In Japan, both employers and foreign national employees should be aware of the details of the work rules. If a foreign national cannot fully understand the work rules, they should get them translated into a language they can understand so that they know what it is stated in the rules.

If the standards in an employment contract are lower than what it is stated in the work rule book, the employer’s work rules override the employment contract.