Five Labor Bureaus to raise specified minimum wages in December

Based on Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959), five bureaus—the Hokkaido Labour Bureau, Miyagi Labour Bureau, Saitama Labour Bureau, Osaka Labour Bureau, and Hyogo Labour Bureau—announced the revised decisions for industry-specific minimum wages in the Official Gazette dated October 27. Each announcement was issued under the name of the respective Labour Bureau Director on the same date; most will take effect from December 1, 2026, with only the one from the Miyagi Labour Bureau taking effect from December 15. The targets include the industries of shipbuilding/repair, dairy products, paint manufacturing, electronic components/devices, optical machinery/instruments, and automobile retail, directly affecting wage levels and contract unit prices for labor and management in these industries.

Specific minimum wages are determined separately from the regional minimum wages of each prefecture, following investigation and deliberation by a Minimum Wage Council composed of representatives from labor and management for specific industries. Revisions take effect through publication in the Official Gazette based on the provisions of Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the same Act, and the period from the date of publication to the effective date serves as the preparation period for employers. In the table of contents of the Official Gazette on the same day, the announcements from these five bureaus were listed collectively as “Public Notice Regarding the Revised Decision on Minimum Wages.”

Hokkaido simultaneously revises two items: shipbuilding and dairy products

Hokkaido Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 revises the specific minimum wages for the shipbuilding/repair industry and the ship hull block manufacturing industry in Hokkaido, increasing the hourly rates as follows:

• Hokkaido Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (Shipbuilding/Repair Industry, Ship Hull Block Manufacturing Industry): 1,177 yen → 1,232 yen, 1,105 yen → 1,162 yen
• Hokkaido Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 4 (Processed Milk/Milk Beverages, Dairy Products, Sugar/Starch Sugar Manufacturing Industry): 1,113 yen → 1,160 yen

Both take effect from December 1, 2026. The signatory of the notice is Tatsuya Muramatsu, Director of the Hokkaido Labour Bureau.

Osaka and Hyogo revise paint manufacturing; Hyogo also revises electronic components

Both bureaus in Western Japan are increasing the specific minimum wage for the paint manufacturing industry. On the same day, the Hyogo Labour Bureau also issued a notice grouping three industries—electronic components/devices/electronic circuits manufacturing, electrical machinery/instruments manufacturing, and information and communication machinery/instruments manufacturing—resulting in overlapping revisions across multiple manufacturing sectors within the prefecture.

• Osaka Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (Osaka Prefecture Paint Manufacturing Industry): 1,191 yen → 1,245 yen
• Hyogo Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 4 (Hyogo Prefecture Paint Manufacturing Industry): 1,158 yen → 1,199 yen
• Hyogo Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 5 (Electronic Components/Devices/Electronic Circuits, Electrical Machinery/Instruments, Information and Communication Machinery/Instruments Manufacturing Industry): 1,117 yen → 1,173 yen

All three shall take effect from December 1, 2026. The signatories are Koji Makinae, Director of the Osaka Labour Bureau, and Shinichi Kanari, Director of the Hyogo Labour Bureau.

Saitama to apply to optical machinery and instruments; Miyagi to apply to automobile retail from December 15

Saitama Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 5 amends the specific minimum wage for the optical machinery and instruments, lenses, clocks, and parts thereof manufacturing industry in Saitama Prefecture (Saitama Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 of 2025) and shall apply from December 1. The signatory is Koji Tabira, Director of the Saitama Labour Bureau.

Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 revises the specific minimum wage for the automobile retail industry in Miyagi Prefecture from 1,101 yen to 1,161 yen. The effective date is December 15, which is the latest among the public notices of the five bureaus. The signatory is Takahiro Matsuse, Director of the Miyagi Labour Bureau.

Directly linked to year-end wage revisions and review of order unit prices

Due to these public notices, workers in the target industries will be in a position where, from December 1 (December 15 for the automobile retail industry in Miyagi Prefecture), employers cannot require them to work for wages below the revised hourly rate. Employers must review wage ledgers, including unit prices for short-time workers, contractors, and dispatched workers, by the effective date; the fact that this coincides with the year-end busy season will be a practical focal point. Following the public notices of regional minimum wage revisions by each bureau from September to October, the industry-specific levels have now been finalized.

Official Sources

• Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959), Article 15, Paragraph 2 and Article 19, Paragraph 1
• Official Gazette, Tuesday, October 27, 2026, “Public Notice Regarding the Decision to Revise Minimum Wages” (Hokkaido Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notices 3 & 4, Miyagi No. 2, Saitama No. 5, Osaka No. 3, Hyogo No. 4 & 5)
• Hokkaido Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (Shipbuilding and Repair, Ship Block Manufacturing) / No. 4 (Processed Milk, Milk Beverages, Dairy Products, Sugar and Starch Sugar Manufacturing), October 27, 2026, Tatsuya Muramatsu, Director of the Hokkaido Labour Bureau, Effective December 1, 2026
• Osaka Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (Paint Manufacturing in Osaka Prefecture), Koji Makinae, Director of the Osaka Labour Bureau, Effective December 1, 2026
• Hyogo Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 4 (Paint Manufacturing in Hyogo Prefecture) / No. 5 (Electronic Components, Devices, and Electronic Circuits, Electrical Machinery and Instruments, Information and Communication Equipment Manufacturing), Shinichi Kanari, Director of the Hyogo Labour Bureau, Effective December 1, 2026
• Saitama Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 5 (Optical Machinery and Instruments, Lenses, Clocks, and Parts Thereof Manufacturing), Koji Tabira, Director of the Saitama Labour Bureau, Effective December 1, 2026
• Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 (Automobile Retail in Miyagi Prefecture), Takahiro Matsuse, Director of the Miyagi Labour Bureau, Effective December 15, 2026