🇯🇵What does Japan require?

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Japan runs two kinds of minimum wage — a regional (地域別) rate that is the main one, and an industry-specific (特定) rate — both under the Minimum Wage Act. The process has two stages: the Central Minimum Wage Council first groups the 47 prefectures into ranks by economic conditions and issues a nationwide adjustment guideline (目安) for each rank; each prefecture's own local minimum wage council then decides the actual figure, weighing local workers' cost of living, general wage levels, and employers' ability to pay. For fiscal 2026, the central council's guideline, issued July 28, points to a national weighted average of ¥1,176 an hour (up ¥55, or 4.9%, from the year before), but each prefecture's local council still has to issue its own decision, so the actual amount — and the effective date, mostly in October — varies by prefecture. That means Japan does not have one national rate; it has 47 coexisting ones. An employer who underpays the regional rate can be fined up to ¥500,000; underpaying the industry-specific rate carries a lower cap of ¥300,000.