Overseas Diplomatic Staff Allowances to Rise November at Seven Embassies

In the Official Gazette dated October 28, the government promulgated the Cabinet Order to Partially Amend the Cabinet Order Establishing the Amount of the Overseas Service Basic Allowance, the Deduction and Limit Amounts for the Overseas Housing Allowance, and the Self-Pay Amount for the Children’s Education Allowance for Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions (Cabinet Order No. 333). The amount of the overseas service basic allowance will be increased at seven Japanese embassies, including those in Cuba, Russia, Iran, and Iraq, as well as four Japanese consulates-general, effective from November 1, 2026. For four of the embassies and the Consulate-General of Japan in Saint Petersburg, the changes will be applied retroactively to August 1.

The Cabinet Order was enacted by the Cabinet based on Article 11 of the Act on the Names and Locations of Diplomatic Missions and the Salaries of Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions (Act No. 93 of 1952). The subject of the amendment is the Cabinet Order Establishing the Amount of the Overseas Service Basic Allowance, the Deduction and Limit Amounts for the Overseas Housing Allowance, and the Self-Pay Amount for the Children’s Education Allowance for Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions (Cabinet Order No. 179 of 1974), and the main text replaces the amounts of the overseas service basic allowance in Appended Table 1.

The promulgation document is signed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and bears the Imperial Seal. The summary of laws and regulations in the Official Gazette explains the content of the amendment as “revising the amount of the overseas service basic allowance paid to foreign service officers working at diplomatic missions,” without mentioning the reasons for the increase.

Uniform Increase in Payment by Salary Step at Seven Embassies

In the embassy table of Appended Table 1, the amounts for seven diplomatic missions across the Latin America/Caribbean, Europe, and Middle East sections were rewritten. The amounts for every salary step at every mission were increased, and the amounts for the highest salary step are revised as follows:

• Embassy of Cuba: 1,240,000 yen → 1,330,000 yen (90,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Afghanistan: 980,000 yen → 1,090,000 yen (110,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Russia: 1,080,000 yen → 1,180,000 yen (100,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Iran: 920,000 yen → 970,000 yen (50,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Ukraine: 1,040,000 yen → 1,080,000 yen (40,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Belarus: 830,000 yen → 870,000 yen (40,000 yen increase)
• Embassy of Iraq: 1,000,000 yen → 1,030,000 yen (30,000 yen increase)

The amount of the increase varies by mission, with Afghanistan and Russia seeing increases of 100,000 yen or more, and Cuba seeing 90,000 yen, while Iraq remains at 30,000 yen. Lower salary steps were increased in the same direction; for example, in Cuba, the lowest amount increases from 560,400 yen to 593,600 yen, and in Russia, from 362,300 yen to 389,900 yen.

Retroactive Application to August for Four Embassies and Saint Petersburg

The supplementary provisions stipulate that, among the provisions of the revised Appended Table 1, the portions pertaining to the Embassies of Japan in Cuba, Belarus, Russia, and Iran, as well as the Consulate-General of Japan in Saint Petersburg, shall be applied from August 1, 2026, without waiting for the enforcement date. For these five diplomatic missions, the treatment will result in a difference for the months of August through October in addition to the payments from November onwards.

On the other hand, the embassies in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Iraq are not included in the scope of retroactive application, and the new amounts will apply from November 1. The date of promulgation of the Cabinet Order is October 28, and the switch to the new amounts will occur during the three-day interval before the enforcement date.

Tables for Consulates-General also revised; four offices including Vladivostok corrected

In the table for Consulates-General under section two of Appended Table 1, the amounts for four Consulates-General of Japan belonging to the Europe category—Vladivostok, Saint Petersburg, Khabarovsk, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk—have been revised. Additionally, accompanying the promulgation of this Cabinet Order, necessary revisions have been made to other related Cabinet Orders.

The basic overseas allowance is the portion of the salary of foreign service officers working at diplomatic missions that reflects the local working environment. This revision is limited in scope, covering seven out of eleven embassies and four consulates-general.

For diplomats working in regions where the assignment environment is considered harsh due to fluctuations in exchange rates and prices, this revision directly affects their take-home pay. Staff working in Cuba, Russia, Iran, and Belarus will receive the new amount starting from their November salary, and since the difference retroactive to August will also be eligible for payment, the practical impact on the operation and personnel management of the diplomatic missions will be concentrated in November.

Sources

• Official Gazette (dated October 28, 2026) Cabinet Order No. 333, “Cabinet Order to Partially Amend the Cabinet Order Determining the Amount of Basic Overseas Allowance, the Deduction Amount and Limit for Overseas Housing Allowance, and the Self-Pay Amount for Children’s Education Allowance for Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Legal Basis: Act on the Names and Locations of Diplomatic Missions and the Salaries of Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions (Act No. 93 of 1952), Article 11
• Subject of Amendment: Cabinet Order Determining the Amount of Basic Overseas Allowance, the Deduction Amount and Limit for Overseas Housing Allowance, and the Self-Pay Amount for Children’s Education Allowance for Foreign Service Officers Working at Diplomatic Missions (Cabinet Order No. 179 of 1974)
• Promulgated: October 28, 2026 / Enforced: November 1, 2026 (some parts applied from August 1, 2026)