As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread, governments have been responding and in many cases, enacting unprecedented economic stimulus bills to provide financial support to affected individuals and employers. Below, we have summarised key developments adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic that impact individuals and employers in Japan.

COVID-19 Special Provision for Employment Adjustment Subsidy

The Employment Adjustment Subsidy is a monetary relief fund to help businesses who have been forced to reduce operations due to economic causes, and in turn pay statutory leave allowances and wages where employees are placed on temporary leave, occupational training or assignments with the objective of maintaining employment.
For the purposes of the fund, the authorities outlined what will be considered as economic causes, with examples provided below;

• Reduction of business operations in response to reduced orders from COVID-19 affected customers, clients or suppliers.
• Reduction of business operations due to voluntary business closure in response to government request.
• Customer decline due to public restraints in response to government request.
• Customer decline due to continuous cancellation of reservations from tourists as a result of reputational damage.
• Reduction of business operations due to voluntary business closure in response to COVID-19 infected employees.

For impacted employers, the funding support is outlined below.

Subsidy details and amounts	Rate subsidised (large company)	Rate subsidised (small and mid-size company)
Applicable period	First day of leave, occupational training or secondment to begin BEFORE 23 July 2020	First day of leave, occupational training or secondment to begin BEFORE 23 July 2020
Maximum daily amount JPY 8,330	2/3 (3/4 if employment is maintained)	4/5 (9/10 if employment is maintained)
Addition for occupational training	JPY1,200/employee per day
Maximum payment days	100 days/year + Eligible Period

References on Special Provisions for Employment Adjustment Subsidy (Japanese only)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000612660.pdf
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000615395.pdf

 

COVID-19 School closure subsidy
As schools have closed mandatorily across Japan, additional relief is provided to support employees who have taken leave in order to care for their children.

	Employers granting paid leave between 27 February 2020 to 31 March 2020 to employees caring for the following child/children as a guardian:
Eligibility	Child/children attending elementary schools temporarily closed for preventive measures to contain COVID-19 infection. Child/children attending elementary school and infected with COVID-19 or showing signs of cold symptoms possibly infected with COVID-19.
Subsidy details	Wages paid to employees granted paid leave x 10/10 Maximum daily amount: JPY8,330/employee
Application window	Between 18 March 2020 to 30 June 2020

※ Reference (Japanese only)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/koyou_roudou/koyou/kyufukin/pageL07_00002.html