Japan
Japan observes 16 national holidays designated by the Cabinet Office under the Holidays Act of 1948 (as amended). Substitute holidays apply automatically when a national holiday falls on a Sunday; several holidays cluster into high-traffic periods (Golden Week, Obon, Silver Week).
National holidays (16, Holidays Act 1948)
- Ganjitsu (New Year) - January 1
- Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) - second Monday of January
- Kenkoku Kinen no Hi (National Foundation Day) - February 11
- Tenno Tanjobi (Emperor Birthday) - February 23
- Shunbun no Hi (Vernal Equinox) - March 20 or 21
- Showa no Hi (Showa Day) - April 29
- Kenpo Kinenbi (Constitution Day) - May 3
- Midori no Hi (Greenery Day) - May 4
- Kodomo no Hi (Children Day) - May 5
- Umi no Hi (Marine Day) - third Monday of July
- Yama no Hi (Mountain Day) - August 11
- Keiro no Hi (Respect for the Aged Day) - third Monday of September
- Shubun no Hi (Autumnal Equinox) - September 22 or 23
- Sports no Hi (Sports Day) - second Monday of October
- Bunka no Hi (Culture Day) - November 3
- Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving) - November 23
How the Japanese national holiday calendar works
The 16 national holidays were assembled in layers. Showa Day (April 29) was the first modern postwar holiday, established 1949 to honor the late Emperor Hirohito. Kenpo Kinenbi (May 3) and Midori no Hi (May 4) were added 1949 and 1989 respectively. Children Day (May 5) was originally Tango no Sekku, a traditional boys festival on the fifth day of the fifth month, made a national holiday 1948. Mountain Day (August 11) is the most recent addition, effective 2016. The Emperor Birthday moved from December 23 to February 23 after Emperor Naruhito's accession in 2019.
National holidays apply nationwide. Most workers in Japan are guaranteed paid time off under the Labor Standards Act, but the timing of national holidays is set by the Cabinet Office and applies uniformly across regions. Japanese employers also have a strong cultural norm of giving year-end and new-year breaks (December 29 - January 3), which are not statutory holidays but are universally observed.
Religious and secular composition
Japan is roughly 69% Shinto, 66% Buddhist (most Japanese observe both), 1.5% Christian, and the remainder unaffiliated (Pew, 2022 estimates; the categories overlap because most Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhist rites). Despite the heavy religious practice, the 16 national holidays are largely civic-secular rather than religious: Showa Day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day, Marine Day, Mountain Day, Respect for the Aged Day, Sports Day, Culture Day, and Labor Thanksgiving are civil holidays. National Foundation Day and the Emperor Birthday are imperial-civic. Coming of Age Day and Children Day are life-stage rites. Only the equinox days have a religious undertone, coinciding with Shinto higan observance.
Peak months and observance patterns
April-May (Golden Week) is the densest cluster: Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), Children Day (May 5) form a 4-day sequence that, sandwiched with weekends, typically produces a 7-day break. May 1 (no holiday) is sometimes a de facto day off, producing a 9-day break. August (Mountain Day + Obon) is the second peak; Obon is not a national holiday but is universally observed mid-August. November (Culture Day + Labor Thanksgiving) is the third cluster. February (National Foundation Day + Emperor Birthday) is the smallest cluster.
Region-by-region variation
Japan's 47 prefectures do not add their own regional holidays; the 16-day Cabinet-Office list applies uniformly. Local culture varies observances but not legal holidays: Okinawa observes Obon in the lunar calendar (August 15 lunar, mid-September solar), while mainland Japan observes mid-August. Some prefectures designate local observances that are not paid time off but are widely noted. Hokkaido, Akita, and Niigata observe significant snow festivals not on the national calendar. The Northern Territories Day (February 7) is a national day observed at the government level but not a public holiday.
Recent shifts and contested history
Mountain Day was added in 2016, the first new national holiday in 23 years. Marine Day was moved from July 20 to the third Monday of July in 2003 under the Happy Monday system, which also moved Coming of Age Day, Respect for the Aged Day, and Sports Day to Mondays to create three-day weekends. The Emperor Birthday shifted from December 23 to February 23 in 2019 with the imperial accession. Substitute-holiday rules were tightened in 2007: if a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next weekday is automatically a substitute holiday (previously only some holidays had this rule).
Where the holidays come from culturally
Japanese national holidays reflect four historical layers. Layer 1 (pre-1868): traditional seasonal festivals on the lunar calendar, including Tango no Sekku (May 5) and equinox observances. Layer 2 (1868-1947): Meiji imperial civic holidays, including National Foundation Day (originally Kigensetsu, renamed 1966). Layer 3 (1948-1989): postwar civic holidays under the Holidays Act 1948, including Showa Day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day. Layer 4 (2003-present): the Happy Monday system + Mountain Day + Emperor Birthday updates. The pattern is a hybrid imperial-civic with traditional seasonal residue.
Work and pay rules
National holidays are paid days off under the Labor Standards Act. Workers who work on a national holiday must receive a 35% wage premium or a substitute day off. The 16-holiday calendar is supplemented by employer practices: most Japanese companies close December 29 - January 3 for the year-end/new-year break (not statutory), and many observe Obon mid-August (not statutory). Total observed time off including national holidays + standard paid leave (typically 10-20 days) + employer practice typically yields 15-20 non-working days per year.
Comparison with neighboring countries
Compared with South Korea's 15 national holidays, Japan has one more. South Korea retains more traditional lunar-calendar days (Lunar New Year, Chuseok), while Japan converted all lunar holidays to fixed Gregorian dates. Compared with China's 7 statutory holidays, Japan has more than twice as many national holidays. Compared with the United States' 11 federal holidays, Japan has 16. The closest analogue is Taiwan (15 national days + several observances) which also retains lunar calendar festivals.
Calendar cycles 2026-2028
Most Japanese holidays are fixed-date or fixed-weekday, so the calendar is stable across years. Vernal Equinox is March 20 (2026) or March 20 (2027) or March 20 (2028). Autumnal Equinox is September 23 (2026), September 23 (2027), September 22 (2028). Substitute holidays apply when a holiday falls on Sunday. In 2026, Showa Day (April 29) is a Wednesday; Golden Week runs April 29 - May 5 with no full-weekend sandwich. In 2027, Showa Day (April 29) is a Thursday; Golden Week runs April 29 - May 5. In 2028, Showa Day (April 29) is a Saturday; substitute holiday Monday May 1.
Major holiday briefs on this page
Each of the holidays discussed on this regional overview has a full standalone brief covering its origins, observance practices, and modern controversy: