Overview
- The Central Minimum Wage Council held its sixth subcommittee meeting on Tuesday and moved the 2026 guideline process forward toward a higher national target.
- Labor representatives formally demanded a ¥75 rise from the current nationwide average of ¥1,121, pressing for a much larger increase than employers support.
- Employer representatives urged caution, citing external risks such as recent developments in the Middle East as reasons to consider a smaller rise.
- Neutral public-interest commissioners have prepared a draft guideline and the council’s subcommittee set a provisional average increase of ¥55, which would raise the nationwide hourly minimum to about ¥1,176 if adopted.
- After the national guideline is finalised this month, prefectural councils will set local rates using an A–C tier system and changes typically take effect from October, with Tokyo now at ¥1,226 and several prefectures at ¥1,023.