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In Japan, yes — forcing employees to work 9 hours straight without a break is a violation of labor law.
Here’s the breakdown according to the Japanese Labor Standards Act (労働基準法 / Roudou Kijunhou):
Japanese Labor Law Summary
1. Working hours limit:
Standard working hours are 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week (Article 32).
Working beyond that requires an official labor–management agreement (a “36 Agreement” / 三六協定).
2. Break (Rest) requirements:
Article 34 of the Labor Standards Act:
Employers must provide a minimum rest period of at least 45 minutes if the working time exceeds 6 hours,
and at least 1 hour if the working time exceeds 8 hours.
That means:
If you work over 8 hours (for example, 9 hours straight),
you must legally get at least 1 hour of break during that time.
The break must be uninterrupted and employees must be free to use it as they wish (not on-call, not working through lunch).
Violation consequences
Employers who fail to provide proper rest breaks are violating the Labor Standards Act.
Penalties can include fines up to ¥300,000 and orders for correction from the Labour Standards Inspection Office (労働基準監督署).
Summary:
Forcing employees to work 9 hours without any break is illegal in Japan under Article 34 of the Labor Standards Act.
Would you like me to show you how to report such a violation to the Roudou Kijun Kantokusho (Labor Standards Inspection Office), in Japanese format?
