Minimum wages will rise 15 yen on average, still not enough

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Minimum wages will rise 15 yen on average, still not enough

The Central Minimum Wages Council on August 5 recommended an increase in the regional minimum wage by a range of 10-30 yen per hour.

If the recommendation is implemented, the national average of the minimum hourly wage will be raised by 15 yen to 728 yen.

In Japan, the minimum wage is set in each prefecture by the regional Council on the Minimum Wage.

In the recommendation, the Central Council called on all 47 regional Councils to raise the minimum hourly wage by 10 yen. In 12 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hokkaido, where the minimum wage is lower than welfare benefits, in addition to a 10 yen hike, the Central Council suggested another increase by 10 yen or more.

After the Central Council’s report is finalized on August 6, local councils will consider changing their respective minimum wage.

Following the Central Council’s report, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) on August 6 issued a statement.

The statement said, “As a result of Zenroren union members’ struggle, our demand for a drastic increase in the minimum wage is partly reflected in the Central Council’s report. However, the proposed hike in the minimum wage falls short of our demand for a raise of 1,000 yen per hour which would contribute to an eradication of the working poor and initiate economic recovery through enhancing purchasing power.”

Zenroren calls on its member unions to continue their efforts to get local councils to raise their regional minimum wage more than the Central Council’s proposal and urges the government to take measures to support small- and medium-sized companies in order to realize a meaningful increase in the minimum wage.

- Akahata, August 6-7, 2010