Is there something wrong with just not showing up one morning? Or even walking out in the middle of the day? That's how I always quit jobs, because fuck em.

That is not legal everywhere in the world. In many European countries for example, if you do that, your employer can successfully sue you for damages.

People especially use this service when their current employer is a black company. In a cruel twist of irony, one of the most famous job quitting company is itself a black company.

Is there something wrong with just not showing up one morning?

Yes, in Japanese culture, many employers expect the resigning employee to submit to extensive interviews on why they are quitting as well as make apologies to the company.

what happens if one just doesn't submit to such interviews or issue such apologies? does it affect their future hireability?

To claim unemployment benefits or transition smoothly to a new job, Japanese workers need a separation notice (rishokuhyo) and a tax withholding slip (gensen choshuhyo). Bitter companies will simply "forget" to process or mail these, forcing the former employee to beg for them or drag the labor standards office into the fray.

While withholding a final paycheck is strictly illegal under the Labor Standards Act, companies might delay it or refuse to pay out expected severance (taishokukin).

If the industry is small enough, word travels fast and people can be blacklisted.

And just like many USians believe you have to give two-weeks notice, many Japanese believe you must go through that process to leave a company (with possible good reason considering how hard the companies can make it).

From what I've heard, it can affect your future job prospects, yes. I've heard of some companies in Japan that would try to find out which company you're trying to leave them for in order to lower the likelihood you'd get hired there if you don't leave them "the right way". But I don't have any personal experience in this and I haven't talked about it much with the people I know in Japan, so this is just hearsay you should take with a grain of salt.

So they can fire you if you don't do our job, but if you leave and in that way don't do your job, they can fire and sue you??

That's crazy, man.

Lol this was my experience with a weird 'family business' in the UK, they rejected (or at least tried to) my letter of resignation, took offence that I hadn't given them prior notice so they could start the recruitment process to replace me, it was all very strange.

Well no, not really. Employees in these European countries actually have rights and can't be fired on the spot for no reason.

Culturally it's more similar to "changing families" than "just changing jobs". There's pros and cons to this system of course.

So that's why I didn't get my notice, that fucker was just salty...

Can you define what a "black company" is, just to be clear?

In Europe we generally have several months notice period for quitting AND getting fired.

In the Netherlands the notice period for getting fired is twice the notice period for quitting.

You technically can get fired on the spot but you have to do something really bad for that. And it's still a rough legal battle.

If you follow the notice period procedure it's all perfectly fine.

The immediate dismissial would be for actions like breaking the trust (e.g. egregious theft or mishandling confidential data in a high security and trust job)

I looked it up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_company_(Japan)

Basically companies that treat employees like shit.

@Rolive @jpreston2005 My contract states a notice period of 6 months. Now that we are downsizing, that is both comforting and unnerving.

Yes, there is lots wrong with that and word will get around if you do this.