Overview

• The Central Minimum Wage Council subcommittee deferred its decision on the FY2025 wage guideline after debating a roughly 6% (¥63) boost.
• A 6% rise would raise the national weighted average to about ¥1,118 per hour and surpass last year’s 5% increase.
• Employer representatives signalled caution about any increase beyond 6% due to limited price pass-through capacity in small and medium enterprises.
• The council is scheduled to reconvene on August 4 to finalise its recommendation ahead of prefectural implementation in October.
• Meeting the government’s target of a ¥1,500 national average in the 2020s would require sustained annual increases of roughly 7.3%.