Is this the same as the 離職票?

No. The 離職票 comes from your former employer, proves you left and what you earned, and is what you hand in to apply. This certificate is issued by Hello Work, sets out what you will actually be paid, and is used from then on.

What is it called in English?

MHLW's English forms print it as "Certificate of eligibility for unemployment benefits". The 失業認定申告書 that goes with it appears as "Application for unemployment verification", and the 認定日 as "Verification day".

I was told I do not need to bring it if I have a My Number Card.

Where eligibility was decided on or after 1 October 2022, you may choose to show your My Number Card instead, which removes the need to bring the certificate to each procedure and the need for a photograph. The results are then printed on a 雇用保険受給資格通知 and handed to you. Anyone without the card, or who prefers not to, continues with the certificate as before.

Am I guaranteed the full 所定給付日数?

No — it is a ceiling, not a promise. You are paid for the days on which you are verified as unemployed, verification day by verification day. If you start working, the basic allowance stops there, though you may qualify for a different allowance instead.

Insurance / Pension

Certificate of Eligibility for Unemployment Benefits (雇用保険受給資格者証) Explained

雇用保険受給資格者証 is the document Hello Work issues once it has decided you are entitled to unemployment benefit. After you hand in your 離職票 and your eligibility is decided, you are told to attend an "employment insurance explanatory session" (受給説明会) on a set date; there you are handed this certificate together with the 失業認定申告書, and told your first verification day. Printed on it are your payment number, the code for your reason for leaving, the 基本手当日額 (the amount paid per day), the 所定給付日数 (the maximum number of days you can be paid), and your next verification day. MHLW's own English forms call it the "Certificate of eligibility for unemployment benefits". You hand it in at each verification day and get it back with the result added, so it stays in use for the whole claim.

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Who receives it

Anyone whose claim for basic allowance has been approved by Hello Work after submitting the 離職票. It is normally handed over at the explanatory session. If you hold a My Number Card and prefer it, you may instead be given a 雇用保険受給資格通知 — this applies where eligibility was decided on or after 1 October 2022.

What to do

1Attend the explanatory session at the time printed on your notice. You receive the certificate and the 失業認定申告書 there, and you are told your first verification day.
2Check the 基本手当日額 and the 所定給付日数 on the face of it. Those two numbers are how much you get per day and the most days you can be paid.
3Check the code for your reason for leaving. If it does not match how you actually left, raise it at the counter — it affects when payment starts and for how long.
4On each verification day, fill in your job-seeking activity on the 失業認定申告書 and hand it in together with this certificate. As a rule you need at least two job-seeking activities in the period being assessed.
5If you lose or damage it, tell Hello Work and it can be reissued. Keep it as carefully as you would a health insurance card until your claim ends.

About the deadline

Nothing on the certificate is due by a date, but the "next verification day" printed on it is effectively your deadline. If you do not attend on the day you were given, that period cannot be verified and your payment is pushed back accordingly. If something unavoidable stops you attending, contact Hello Work before the day rather than after. Separately, basic allowance can in principle only be paid within one year of the day after you left your job; days of entitlement left over when that year ends cannot be claimed.

Common misunderstandings

Is this the same as the 離職票?: No. The 離職票 comes from your former employer, proves you left and what you earned, and is what you hand in to apply. This certificate is issued by Hello Work, sets out what you will actually be paid, and is used from then on.
What is it called in English?: MHLW's English forms print it as "Certificate of eligibility for unemployment benefits". The 失業認定申告書 that goes with it appears as "Application for unemployment verification", and the 認定日 as "Verification day".
I was told I do not need to bring it if I have a My Number Card.: Where eligibility was decided on or after 1 October 2022, you may choose to show your My Number Card instead, which removes the need to bring the certificate to each procedure and the need for a photograph. The results are then printed on a 雇用保険受給資格通知 and handed to you. Anyone without the card, or who prefers not to, continues with the certificate as before.
Am I guaranteed the full 所定給付日数?: No — it is a ceiling, not a promise. You are paid for the days on which you are verified as unemployed, verification day by verification day. If you start working, the basic allowance stops there, though you may qualify for a different allowance instead.