Japan’s inflation-adjusted wages rose 2.2% in September from a year earlier, extending gains to a ninth consecutive month, government figures released Friday morning in Tokyo showed. The release came Thursday evening in the United States.
The preliminary Monthly Labour Survey from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare showed average total cash earnings of 311,409 yen, up 4.6% from September 2025. The survey covers establishments with at least five employees.
Regular base pay increased 3.7% to 279,182 yen. The broader measure of regularly paid earnings, which also includes overtime and related payments, rose 3.6% to 299,151 yen.
The headline real-wage measure adjusts earnings using consumer prices excluding the imputed rent attributed to owner-occupied housing. That price index rose 2.4% from a year earlier. On a separate calculation using the overall consumer price index, real wages increased 2.3%.
The distinction matters because nominal pay shows the amount workers receive, while inflation-adjusted pay estimates how much those earnings can buy. In September, pay growth exceeded the price increase used in the ministry’s main calculation.
The release also included a separate summer-bonus tally. Average bonuses at establishments paying them rose 5.3% to 448,765 yen.
The figures add to the evidence watched by the Bank of Japan as it considers further interest-rate increases. Wage growth can support household spending while also influencing how persistent inflation becomes. The report does not itself announce a monetary-policy decision.
The ministry said the preliminary results may be revised. Of 33,034 establishments surveyed, 22,433 responded, a response rate of 67.9%.
Sources: Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — September 2026 preliminary Monthly Labour Survey: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/monthly/r08/2609p/dl/pdf2609p.pdf TV Asahi — September real wages and summer bonuses: https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000545728.html Reuters — Japan’s real wages rise for ninth month: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japans-real-wages-rise-ninth-month-september-backing-boj-rate-hike-2026-11-05/