On January 20, 2017, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a guideline on how employers must keep track of working hours. As a rule, they must use objective records such as time cards, IC cards or computer usage logs. Where hours are self-reported, the employer must check, if necessary, whether they match the actual hours.
The guideline also forbids caps on the overtime a worker may report, such as refusing reports above a limit.