Minimum Wages for Steel Industries in Shimane, Yamaguchi, Miyagi Rise Dec 15

Shimane Labour Bureau, Yamaguchi Labour Bureau, and Miyagi Labour Bureau have announced the decision to increase the specific minimum wages applicable to specific industries, such as iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals, in the Official Gazette dated November 5 (Government Reports/Labour “Public Notice Regarding the Decision to Revise Minimum Wages”). The new hourly rates will take effect on December 15, 2026, directly impacting the wage practices of employers and workers in the target industries. The public notice is based on Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959), and the decision itself was made based on Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the same Act.

Specific minimum wages are a system where the Director of the Prefectural Labour Bureau determines wages for specific industries, separate from the regional minimum wages that apply to all workers within each prefecture. These three cases each revise a portion of an existing public notice; rather than replacing the entire text, they take the form of replacing the hourly rates specified in the respective item for each industry.

Increase Amounts for Three Prefectures: Shimane Highest at 67 Yen

• Shimane Prefecture: From 1,163 yen to 1,230 yen per hour (67 yen, 5.8% increase)
• Yamaguchi Prefecture: From 1,180 yen to 1,238 yen per hour (58 yen, 4.9% increase)
• Miyagi Prefecture: From 1,125 yen to 1,187 yen per hour (62 yen, 5.5% increase)

In all three prefectures, the rates rose from the low 1,000s to around 1,200 yen, with Yamaguchi seeing the smallest increase. Each public notice explicitly states that the hourly rate “within Article 4” of the target notice will be revised to the new amount, and the revision directly affects the minimum wage amount for the relevant industry.

Scope Limited to Manufacturing Processes of Iron, Steel, and Non-Ferrous Metals

• Shimane Prefecture: Steelmaking/Steel Rolling, Iron and Steel Primary Shapes Manufacturing (Shimane Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3, based on 2025 Shimane Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3)
• Yamaguchi Prefecture: Iron and Steel Industry, Non-ferrous Metal Smelting/Refining, Non-ferrous Metal/Alloy Rolling, Non-ferrous Metal Primary Shapes Manufacturing (Yamaguchi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2, based on 2008 Yamaguchi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2)
• Miyagi Prefecture: Iron and Steel Industry (Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3, based on 2008 Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 4)

The scope is limited to industries involved in manufacturing processes such as smelting, rolling, and primary shapes of iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals; it does not uniformly increase the minimum wage for all workplaces within the prefectures. Yamaguchi Prefecture has the broadest scope with four industries, Shimane has two, and Miyagi is limited to the iron and steel industry.

Effective December 15: Direct Impact on Year-End Wage Calculations

The supplementary provisions of the public notice state, “This decision shall take effect from December 15, 2026,” and the new hourly rate will apply to labor performed on or after that date. In the wage calculations for December, since the old and new hourly rates will coexist mid-month, affected workplaces will be required to verify calculations on a pro-rata or hourly basis.

The notices were signed by Akihiko Nakamura, Director of the Shimane Labour Bureau; Terumi Suzuki, Director of the Yamaguchi Labour Bureau; and Takahiro Matsuse, Director of the Miyagi Labour Bureau, all dated November 5, 2026. The Minimum Wage Act imposes an obligation on employers to pay wages equal to or greater than the applicable minimum wage amount; therefore, operators in the target industries are required to review their work rules and wage ledgers.

For workers in the target industries, it will be ensured that wages from December 15 onwards do not fall below the new hourly rate, serving as an indicator that will influence their treatment at the start of the new year. By issuing public notices of the same format on the same day, the three labour bureaus have effectively solidified the acceleration of the year-end revisions on an industry-by-industry basis.

Sources

• Official Gazette, November 5, 2026 (Thursday), Government Reports/Labor “Public Notice Regarding the Decision to Revise the Minimum Wage”
• Shimane Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (November 5, 2026, Director of Shimane Labour Bureau, Akihiko Nakamura)
• Yamaguchi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 2 (Same date, Director of Yamaguchi Labour Bureau, Terumi Suzuki)
• Miyagi Labour Bureau Minimum Wage Public Notice No. 3 (Same date, Director of Miyagi Labour Bureau, Takahiro Matsuse)
• Legal Basis: Minimum Wage Act (Act No. 137 of 1959), Article 15, Paragraph 2; Article 19, Paragraph 1