The national weighted-average minimum wage rose by ¥56 under the FY2026 revision, and more than half of restaurant owners and operators are concerned about the impact. The survey covered Inshokuten.com members.
The FY2026 minimum wage increase was ¥56 on a national weighted-average basis, one of the largest increases on record. Synchro Food, which operates Inshokuten.com, surveyed restaurant owners and operators who use the service and released the results. The survey revealed how they view labor-cost revisions and what measures they plan to take as high prices and raw material costs continue.
More than 40% of establishments felt that the ¥56 increase was higher than expected, significantly exceeding the share that considered it in line with or below expectations. Many respondents cited rising operating costs at their restaurants, against a backdrop of concern over higher procurement costs and a possible consumption tax increase.
Approximately half of the establishments planned to pass the minimum wage increase directly through to wages, while some establishments that already pay above the new minimum wage indicated that they might leave wages unchanged. Regarding how to close the gap with the new minimum wage, setting wages at the same level was the most common response, followed by adding ¥10 to ¥49.
More than half of the establishments said the revision would have an impact, and many said that securing profits would become more difficult alongside higher raw material costs. Respondents also cited the difficulty of maintaining differences between hourly wages and the potential decline in average customer spending.
Regarding the government's policy target of achieving a ¥1,500 minimum wage in 2030, nearly two-thirds of respondents were expected to say that the national weighted average would exceed ¥1,500. The most common measure was raising product prices, followed by reviewing suppliers, changing operating hours and reducing staff numbers.