Minimum Wage Hikes Exceed Targets in 33 Prefectures

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Minimum hourly wage hikes in 33 of Japan’s 47 prefectures for fiscal 2026 exceeded the targets set by the Central Minimum Wage Council, which advises the labor minister, it was learned Thursday. The hikes outpaced the targets by 1 to 9 yen, shrinking from the previous year’s maximum margin of 18 yen. Among the 33 prefectures, Saga posted the largest increase, at 65 yen, followed by Kagoshima at 64 yen and Kochi at 63 yen. Following the fiscal 2026 revisions, the hourly minimum wage will be highest in Tokyo at 1,280 yen and lowest in Miyazaki, at 1,085 yen. The gap between the highest and lowest wages will narrow to 195 yen from 203 yen the previous year. Most prefectures plan to implement their revisions in October. The previous year, many delayed implementation until November or later, with six delaying it until the following calendar year. Kumamoto, which was hit by a major earthquake in July, plans to delay implementation until December, considering the quake’s impact on businesses. Iwate and Okinawa also plan to put their revised wages into effect in December. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]