The average summer bonus among major Japanese companies increased 7.04% from the previous year to ¥1,042,537 in 2026, the highest level since comparable data became available in 1981, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, said Thursday.
This marks the fifth consecutive year of bonus growth. An official of Keidanren’s labor policy headquarters said that strong wage increases have been spreading.
Especially in the construction sector, which is facing serious labor shortages, the average bonus surged 59.59% to ¥2,026,633, topping the ¥2 million mark for the first time in any sector.
The survey covered companies with 500 or more employees. Of the 22 sectors with available data, 17 logged increases.
The average summer bonus rose by 6.23% to a record ¥1,093,629 among 126 manufacturers and by 8.96% to ¥941,145 among 37 nonmanufacturers.
The nonferrous metals industry posted an average of ¥1,125,131, up 21.64%, reflecting strong demand related to data centers. The food industry logged ¥1,220,637, up 8.41%.
On the other hand, the average bonus in the machinery metal industry declined 5.49% to ¥1,163,829.
Discussion about this post