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Public holidays in Japan

18 days in 2026 · 17 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Sports Day

スポーツの日

After it: Culture Day, Tuesday 3 November

Monday, 12 October 2026

Japan has 16 national holidays, set by the Public Holiday Law of 1948 and amended eleven times since, most recently in 2018. With the days the law adds around them, 2026 has 18 dates off: Constitution Memorial Day falls on Sunday 3 May, so Wednesday 6 May becomes a substitute holiday, and Tuesday 22 September lies between two holidays and is off as well. In 2027 the vernal equinox lands on Sunday 21 March and the day off moves to Monday 22 March.

Four of the holidays are Mondays by design. The Happy Monday System, in force from 2000, moved Coming of Age Day, Marine Day, Respect for the Aged Day and Sports Day off fixed dates to make long weekends. The two equinox days are not fixed in the law at all; each is set a year ahead from astronomical observation. Late April and early May bring four holidays close together, the stretch known as Golden Week.

Days off in 2026
18Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
17Monday to Friday
On a weekend
1Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
8and 3 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Japan in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day元日New Year's Day, a national holiday since 1948 and the start of Shōgatsu, the New Year season. Before 1948 it was the day of the imperial worship ceremony Shihō-hai.Thursday
  2. 12 January: Coming of Age Day成人の日Coming of Age Day, the second Monday of January, congratulating young people who have come of age that year. Towns hold ceremonies for them. It was 15 January until 2000.MondayDate moves
  3. 11 February: Foundation Day建国記念の日National Foundation Day, created in 1966 and first kept in 1967, to reflect on the founding of the nation. From 1872 to 1948, 11 February was Kigen-setsu, marking the accession the Nihon Shoki gives the legendary Emperor Jimmu in 660 BCE. A cabinet order of 1966 fixes the date.Wednesday
  4. 23 February: The Emperor's Birthday天皇誕生日The Emperor's Birthday, kept for the reigning emperor since 1868 under the older name Tenchō-setsu. It moved from 23 December to 23 February with the imperial transition of 2019 and was not kept at all that year.Monday
  5. 20 March: Vernal Equinox Day春分の日Vernal Equinox Day, set down in 1948 as a day to admire nature and cherish living things. Before that, the equinox was the imperial ancestor festival Shunki kōrei-sai.FridayDate moves
  6. 29 April: Shōwa Day昭和の日Shōwa Day, on the birthday of Emperor Shōwa, born in 1901, and a holiday under this name since 2007: a day to look back on the Shōwa era. From 1989 to 2006 the date was Greenery Day. It opens Golden Week.Wednesday
  7. 3 May: Constitution Memorial Day憲法記念日Constitution Memorial Day, since 1948, for the day in 1947 the postwar constitution took effect. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday.Sunday
  8. 4 May: Greenery Dayみどりの日Greenery Day, for communing with nature and giving thanks for it. It was 29 April from 1989 and moved to 4 May in 2007; before that, 4 May was off only because it lay between two holidays.Monday
  9. 5 May: Children's Dayこどもの日Children's Day, since 1948, to respect children's personalities, plan for their happiness and thank mothers. Families with a boy may fly carp streamers called koinobori. It closes Golden Week.Tuesday
  10. 6 May: Substitute Holiday振替休日A substitute holiday under Article 3(2) of the Public Holiday Law: when a holiday falls on a Sunday, the nearest following day that is not itself a holiday is off.WednesdayDate moves
  11. 20 July: Marine Day海の日Marine Day, created in 1995 and first kept in 1996, in thanks for the ocean and for the prosperity of a maritime nation. It moved from 20 July to the third Monday of July in 2003.MondayDate moves
  12. 11 August: Mountain Day山の日Mountain Day, added in 2014 after lobbying by the Japanese Alpine Club and first kept in 2016. It sits beside the Bon holidays of mid-August.Tuesday
  13. 21 September: Respect for the Aged Day敬老の日Respect for the Aged Day, since 1966, honouring older people and celebrating long life. It was 15 September until 2003 and is now the third Monday of September.MondayDate moves
  14. 22 September: Citizens' Holiday国民の休日A citizens' holiday under Article 3(3): an ordinary day with a national holiday on each side becomes a day off. It appears every few years in September, when Respect for the Aged Day and the autumnal equinox are two days apart.TuesdayDate moves
  15. 23 September: Autumnal Equinox Day秋分の日Autumnal Equinox Day, since 1948, a day to honour ancestors and remember the dead. It replaced the imperial festival Shūki kōrei-sai.Wednesday
  16. 12 October: Sports Dayスポーツの日Sports Day, created in 1966 as Health and Sports Day on 10 October, the anniversary of the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It became the second Monday of October in 2000.MondayDate moves
  17. 3 November: Culture Day文化の日Culture Day, since 1948, for the announcement of the constitution on 3 November 1946: a day for peace, freedom and culture. Before 1948 the date was Meiji-setsu, Emperor Meiji's birthday.Tuesday
  18. 23 November: Labour Thanksgiving Day勤労感謝の日Labour Thanksgiving Day, since 1948, for honouring work, celebrating production and thanking one another. Before that, 23 November was the imperial harvest festival Niiname-sai.Monday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Japan in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

  • 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
  • 3daysSat 10 Jan to Mon 12 JanComing of Age Day
  • 3daysSat 21 Feb to Mon 23 FebThe Emperor's Birthday
  • 3daysFri 20 Mar to Sun 22 MarVernal Equinox Day
  • 5daysSat 2 May to Wed 6 MayConstitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, Children's Day, Substitute Holiday
  • 3daysSat 18 Jul to Mon 20 JulMarine Day
  • 4daysSat 8 Aug to Tue 11 AugWith Mon 10 Aug taken as leave · Mountain Day
  • 5daysSat 19 Sept to Wed 23 SeptRespect for the Aged Day, Citizens' Holiday, Autumnal Equinox Day
  • 3daysSat 10 Oct to Mon 12 OctSports Day
  • 4daysSat 31 Oct to Tue 3 NovWith Mon 2 Nov taken as leave · Culture Day
  • 3daysSat 21 Nov to Mon 23 NovLabour Thanksgiving Day

2027

Public holidays in Japan in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's Day元日Friday
  2. 11 January: Coming of Age Day成人の日MondayDate moves
  3. 11 February: Foundation Day建国記念の日Thursday
  4. 23 February: The Emperor's Birthday天皇誕生日Tuesday
  5. 21 March: Vernal Equinox Day春分の日SundayDate moves
  6. 22 March: Substitute Holiday振替休日MondayDate moves
  7. 29 April: Shōwa Day昭和の日Thursday
  8. 3 May: Constitution Memorial Day憲法記念日Monday
  9. 4 May: Greenery Dayみどりの日Tuesday
  10. 5 May: Children's Dayこどもの日Wednesday
  11. 19 July: Marine Day海の日MondayDate moves
  12. 11 August: Mountain Day山の日Wednesday
  13. 20 September: Respect for the Aged Day敬老の日MondayDate moves
  14. 23 September: Autumnal Equinox Day秋分の日Thursday
  15. 11 October: Sports Dayスポーツの日MondayDate moves
  16. 3 November: Culture Day文化の日Wednesday
  17. 23 November: Labour Thanksgiving Day勤労感謝の日Tuesday

Only a Sunday moves a holiday. When one falls on a Sunday, Article 3(2) makes the next day that is not a holiday a day off, which is why the 2026 substitute for 3 May comes on Wednesday 6 May, after Greenery Day and Children's Day. The law says nothing about a holiday falling on a Saturday.

The equinox dates are not written into the law, which names only the equinox itself. The National Astronomical Observatory announces the next year's dates in the official gazette each February, and the Cabinet Office publishes the 2028 calendar in February 2027.

Events in the imperial family have added single holidays six times since 1948, most recently for the abdication on 30 April 2019 and the enthronement ceremony on 22 October 2019. In 2020 and 2021 Marine Day, Sports Day and Mountain Day were moved to fit around the Tokyo Olympics.

The year-end break is not in the law. Most companies close from 29 December to 3 January, and banks close on 31 December and on 2 and 3 January.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Japan

How many public holidays does Japan have?

The law names 16 national holidays. Two rules can add more: a holiday on a Sunday brings a substitute day off, and a day between two holidays becomes one too. That gives 18 dates in 2026, with a substitute on Wednesday 6 May and a citizens' holiday on Tuesday 22 September, and 17 in 2027, with a substitute on Monday 22 March.

When is Golden Week in 2026?

Golden Week runs from Shōwa Day on 29 April to Children's Day on 5 May, with Constitution Memorial Day and Greenery Day between them. In 2026 Shōwa Day is a Wednesday and the rest fall together at the start of May: Constitution Memorial Day on the Sunday, Greenery Day and Children's Day on Monday and Tuesday, and the substitute holiday on Wednesday 6 May, so Saturday 2 May to Wednesday 6 May is five days off in a row.

What is a citizens' holiday?

Kokumin no kyūjitsu, a day off made by Article 3(3) of the Public Holiday Law for any ordinary day with a national holiday on both sides. For years 4 May was the regular example, until it became Greenery Day in 2007. Now it turns up in September only in some years, when the third Monday and the autumnal equinox leave one day between them, as on Tuesday 22 September 2026.

Why do the equinox holidays move?

The law fixes them to the equinox, not to a date. The vernal equinox usually falls on 20 or 21 March and the autumnal on 22 or 23 September, and the National Astronomical Observatory publishes the exact days for the following year each February. In 2027 the spring holiday is on Sunday 21 March, so Monday 22 March is off instead.

Why is the Emperor's Birthday in February?

The holiday follows whoever is on the throne. It was 23 December during the Heisei era and moved to 23 February after the abdication of 30 April 2019. That year had no Emperor's Birthday holiday: the old date came after the abdication and the new one before the accession.

Is New Year's Eve a holiday in Japan?

No, only New Year's Day is a national holiday. In practice most companies close from 29 December to 3 January, and some industries from Christmas Eve to 5 January, though no law requires it. Banks close on 31 December and on 2 and 3 January. The break is the heart of Shōgatsu, the New Year season, which counts the first one, three or seven days of the year depending on the custom.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.