TD
Key Takeaways
- A naitei is an informal offer of employment issued months before graduation and before any formal contract.
- It is not legally a completed employment contract and it is treated with considerable social weight.
- A formal ceremony traditionally marks acceptance and effectively signals the end of your job hunt.
- Holding multiple offers is common during the process; holding them indefinitely after accepting one is not.
- Declining after acceptance is possible and carries real reputational cost, particularly through your university.
What it actually is
An informal commitment to employ you, issued after you clear the selection process and typically many months before you would start work in April.
Not yet a formal contract. The formal employment agreement comes later. The naitei is a promise on both sides — the company intends to hire you, and you intend to join.
Timing. Issued during the main selection period, which concludes long before graduation. Students frequently have their employment settled a year before they start.
Why the gap exists. The system recruits well in advance and everyone enters together in April, which means a long period between the decision and the start date.
The social weight is the important part. Legally it is informal; practically it is treated as a serious mutual commitment, and behaviour around it is governed by convention as much as by contract.
The acceptance process
A period of holding multiple offers is normal. Candidates progress through several companies simultaneously and may receive more than one informal offer.
Companies apply pressure to commit. Once an offer is issued, companies frequently want confirmation, and some run events and communications specifically to keep successful candidates engaged and discourage them from continuing to search.
A formal acceptance ceremony traditionally takes place in the autumn, marking your commitment. Attending is generally understood as accepting.
After acceptance, the expectation is that your search ends. Continuing to interview elsewhere after accepting is viewed considerably more negatively than in markets where candidates routinely keep options open.
Pre-employment contact continues. Companies typically maintain contact through the months before April with events, correspondence and sometimes training, which is part of building the cohort relationship.
Declining, and what it costs
It is possible. People do decline informal offers, including after accepting, and it is not a legal impossibility.
It carries real social cost. The convention is strong and departing from it is noticed.
Your university may be involved. Institutions frequently have relationships with employers and an interest in maintaining them. Declining after acceptance can affect your university's standing with that company and, in some cases, involve your career centre directly. This is a meaningful difference from markets where an offer is purely bilateral.
Do it as early as possible and communicate directly. If you know you will not accept, saying so promptly and politely is far better than delaying. A phone call rather than an email is the conventional expectation.
Be honest and brief. An apologetic, clear explanation is the right register. Elaborate justification is not required.
The practical advice: avoid accepting an offer you are not reasonably certain about. The convention makes reversal costly in a way that is easy to underestimate from outside.
For foreign candidates specifically
Understand the commitment before accepting. The social weight is heavier than the legal status suggests, and this is exactly the kind of convention that is invisible unless someone explains it.
Your visa depends on it. The work visa application follows from having an offer, and the timeline runs from your acceptance toward an April start. Changing employers late complicates this materially.
The gap before starting is long. Months between acceptance and beginning work, during which you may still be studying. Plan the practical logistics — status change, accommodation, relocation — well ahead rather than in the final weeks.
Ask about pre-employment expectations. Some companies run training, events or correspondence during the gap, and knowing what is expected of you avoids appearing disengaged.
If you are also considering other countries, resolve that before accepting rather than after. Holding a Japanese informal offer while continuing to pursue opportunities elsewhere sits badly with the convention.
Common Mistakes
- Treating it as non-binding because it is informal. The social weight is the operative constraint.
- Accepting while intending to keep searching. Contrary to convention and damaging when discovered.
- Declining late or by email. Early and direct is the expectation.
- Not understanding your university's involvement. Institutional relationships can be affected.
- Ignoring the long gap before starting. Visa, relocation and logistics need planning.
- Accepting without certainty. Reversal is costly in a way that is easy to underestimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a naitei legally binding?
It is not a completed formal employment contract, and it is treated as a serious mutual commitment. The practical constraint is convention rather than enforcement.
Can I hold more than one?
During the process, yes — progressing with several companies is normal. After formally accepting one, continuing to hold others contradicts the convention.
What happens at the acceptance ceremony?
It is a formal event marking your commitment to join, traditionally held in the autumn. Attending is generally understood as acceptance.
Can I decline after accepting?
Yes, and it carries real social cost and may involve your university. Do it as early as possible, by phone, honestly and briefly.
When do I get the actual contract?
The formal employment agreement typically comes later, closer to your start date.
What if the company withdraws the offer?
Rare, and it does happen in unusual circumstances. If it occurs, speak to your university's career centre promptly, since institutions frequently have channels for exactly this situation.
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