Pay, Bonus Hikes Eyed for Officials in All Japan Prefectures

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)–The personnel committees in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures have recommended higher monthly salaries and bonuses for prefectural officials for fiscal 2025, a tally showed Wednesday. If the prefectural governments follow the recommendations, the average annual income is estimated to increase by between 172,000 yen and 255,000 yen in the fiscal year ending next March. The personnel committees’ recommendations are based on surveys of April salaries and bonuses for last winter and this summer at private-sector businesses in their respective regions. According to a Jiji Press survey, the committee in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, recommended the highest monthly salary increase of 3.62 pct, or 13,159 yen, while the committee in Wakayama, western Japan, proposed the lowest increase of 2.44 pct, or 9,220 yen. Many prefectural committees recommended raising starting salaries for university graduates by 12,000 yen and for high school graduates by 12,200 yen. The committees in 44 prefectures sought to raise bonuses by the equivalent of 0.05 month of salary, while those in the remaining three prefectures of Aomori, Tottori and Shimane proposed increases equivalent to 0.10 month of salary. Annual bonuses are expected to be raised to the equivalent of 4.65 months of salary in 43 prefectures, excluding Tokyo, Tottori, Shimane and Kochi. After the revisions, Tokyo would top the list for annual bonuses, at 4.90 months, and for average annual income, at 7,345,000 yen. Kochi would rank lowest in annual income, at 5,875,000 yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]