With the announcement of the minimum wage by the Miyazaki Prefecture Labor Bureau’s Regional Minimum Wage Council on Sept. 3, minimum wages for all seven of Kyushu’s prefectures have been released. All seven prefectures have boosted their minimum wages across the board by ¥11, the second highest hike since the ¥12~13 increase in 2010, and these will go into effect starting in mid-October. Aside from Fukuoka’s ¥712, minimum wages in Kyushu are some of the lowest in the country, ranking alongside Kochi and Shimane prefectures, and have yet to reach the national average of ¥763. One employer involved in the wage deliberations reacted by saying, “It’s odd to have a double-digit increase despite a stalled economic recovery. The amount was politically motivated by the mood of the Abe administration.” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun. 9/4
