There is no single national minimum wage. Each summer the Central Minimum Wages Council publishes a guideline for increases by band of prefectures, and each prefecture's council then sets its own rate. The new rates take effect in the autumn, and the date varies: in 2026, most prefectures moved in October, seven in November and three in December.
For fiscal 2026 the weighted national average is 1,177 yen an hour, up 56 yen from 1,121 yen. Tokyo is highest at 1,280 yen, effective 1 October 2026, and Miyazaki lowest at 1,085 yen. Increases have been the largest on record in recent years. In 2024 the government set a target of a 1,500 yen national average within the 2020s; in 2026 it signalled a deadline of the early 2030s at the latest. There are also industry-specific minimum wages in some prefectures.
The test is applied to hourly pay. For monthly salaried staff, monthly pay is divided by average monthly scheduled hours. Bonuses, overtime pay, family allowances and commuting allowances are excluded from the calculation.
What it means for a foreign employer
- It reaches further than you think. Graduate and junior administrative salaries in regional offices are now close to the floor, and the floor moves every October.
- Check fixed overtime pay. If a salary includes a block of fixed overtime pay, the remaining base, divided by scheduled hours, must still clear the minimum wage.
- Watch every location. A business with staff in several prefectures faces several rates and several effective dates.
- It pushes up the whole curve. Rising floors compress pay between new hires and staff a few years in, which is one reason Japanese companies have been lifting starting salaries sharply.
Sources
- Minimum Wage Act, Articles 4 and 9.
- NHK and Nikkei reporting on the government's 1,500 yen target, 2026.
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, fiscal 2026 regional minimum wage revisions; Tokyo Labour Bureau, announcement of 1 September 2026.