Seasonal bonuses are paid twice yearly In Japan to salaried workers. It is generally referred to as a ボーナス (bo-nasu) The summer bonus is called 夏期賞与 (kaki shoyo) by companies and 夏期一時金 (kaki ichijikin) by unions. It is paid in June or July. The winter bonus is called 冬期賞与 (toki shoyo) by companies and 冬期一時金 (toki ichijikin) by unions and is paid in December. The bonus amount varies from company to company and from year to year, but is generally several months salary. For example, the 2012 summer bonuses for Japan Airlines employees were equivalent to two months pay, while All Nippon Airways paid the equivalent of six weeks pay. As reflected by the different Japanese naming above, while workers effectively consider it to be part of their salary, from the perspective of employers it is contingent on the company performing well, and can be reduced or cut more easily than salaries if the employer considers it necessary. For example, the June 2009 bonuses, in the midst of the global financial crisis, were a 19% year-on-year drop according to the Japan Business Federation.

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