Miyagi and Yamaguchi industry minimum wages rise December 15

Miyagi Labour Bureau and Yamaguchi Labour Bureau announced the revised decisions on specified industry-specific minimum wages in the Official Gazette dated November 6, 2026. In Miyagi Prefecture, the minimum wage for the electronic components, devices, electronic circuits, electrical machinery and equipment, and information and communication machinery and equipment manufacturing industries will be increased from 1,077 yen to 1,138 yen per hour. In Yamaguchi Prefecture, the transport machinery and equipment manufacturing industry will be increased from 1,141 yen to 1,205 yen per hour. Both will take effect from December 15, 2026.

Public Notice by the Director of the Labour Bureau Based on Articles 15 and 19 of the Minimum Wage Act

Both notices are structured such that the Director of the Prefectural Labour Bureau makes a decision to revise the industry-specific minimum wage based on the provisions of Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959), and announces this decision in accordance with the provisions of Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the same Act. The deciding officials are Takahiro Matsuse, Director of the Miyagi Labour Bureau, and Terumi Suzuki, Director of the Yamaguchi Labour Bureau, with both notices dated November 6, 2026.

The revisions target portions of the industry-specific minimum wages established by Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 of 2008 for Miyagi Prefecture, and Yamaguchi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 of 2011 for Yamaguchi Prefecture. Both notices present the revisions by replacing the amount indicated in the target item with the new amount.

The following two categories are affected:

Miyagi Prefecture: Electronic components, devices, electronic circuits, electrical machinery and equipment, and information and communication machinery and equipment manufacturing (Specified Industry Minimum Wage) 1,077 yen/hour → 1,138 yen (Increase of 61 yen, approx. 5.7%)
Yamaguchi Prefecture: Transport machinery and equipment manufacturing (Specified Industry Minimum Wage) 1,141 yen/hour → 1,205 yen (Increase of 64 yen, approx. 5.6%)
Effective Date: December 15, 2026 for both prefectures

Effective Date and Scope of Application Defined in the Supplementary Provisions

The supplementary provisions of both notices state, “This decision shall take effect from December 15, 2026.” A period of approximately five weeks is provided between the announcement and the effective date, giving employers sufficient time to review work rules, wage ledgers, and contractual wage conditions.

Specified industry-specific minimum wages are lower-limit wages applied to workers in specific industries, separate from the regional minimum wages of each prefecture. In Miyagi Prefecture, where manufacturing of electronic components, devices, electrical machinery, and information/communication machinery is concentrated, and in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where automotive-related transport machinery manufacturing is concentrated, the number of target establishments and employees is relatively large.

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Actions Required of Employers and Workers by December 15

From the effective date onward, establishments in the target industries are required to ensure that the hourly wage of all workers, including part-time employees, does not fall below the new amount. For workers on a monthly or daily salary system, it is necessary to review the wage structure to ensure that the amount, when converted based on prescribed working hours, does not fall below this lower limit.

Those eligible are workers employed at establishments in the relevant industries within each prefecture.
The new amount will apply from December 15 onward, even for labor contracts concluded before the effective date.
Whether an establishment falls under a relevant industry is determined by the nature of the business conducted by the establishment.

Both public notices specify only the details of the revision and the effective date, and provide no transitional measures or exceptions. Business operators must confirm their industry classification and the applicable wage, and complete the necessary wage revisions by December 15.

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Sources

Miyagi Labor Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 4 (November 6, 2026, Takahiro Matsuse, Director of Miyagi Labor Bureau) “Decision to partially revise the Minimum Wage for Electronic Components, Devices, Electronic Circuits, Electrical Machinery and Equipment, and Information and Communication Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Industries in Miyagi Prefecture (Miyagi Labor Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 of 2008),” Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959) Article 15, Paragraph 2 and Article 19, Paragraph 1, Supplementary Provisions (Effective from December 15, 2026)
Yamaguchi Labor Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (November 6, 2026, Terumi Suzuki, Director of Yamaguchi Labor Bureau) “Decision to partially revise the Minimum Wage for Transport Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Industry in Yamaguchi Prefecture (Yamaguchi Labor Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 of 2011),” Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959) Article 15, Paragraph 2 and Article 19, Paragraph 1, Supplementary Provisions (Effective from December 15, 2026)
Official Gazette, November 6, 2026 (Friday), Notifications/Public Notices section