The minimum wage amount (meaning the amount of wages established as the minimum wages; the same applies hereinafter) is to be established on an hourly basis.

①Employers must pay wages of not less than the minimum wage amount to whom minimum wages are applicable.

②A labor contract between workers to whom minimum wages are applicable and their employer, which provides for wages less than the minimum wage amount is to be invalid with respect to that part. In such cases, the invalid part is deemed to provide for wages equal to the amount of the minimum wages.

③The following wages are not to be included in the wages prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs:

④If a worker did not work the prescribed working hours or working days for personal reasons or if an employer did not let a worker work the prescribed working hours or working days due to legitimate grounds, the provisions of paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) do not preclude the employer from not paying wages for the hours or days the worker has not worked.

If wages are paid in something other than currency, or if the cost of items such as meals provided by an employer to their workers are deducted from the worker's wages, those things must be properly evaluated with regard to the application of minimum wages.

①If two or more different minimum wages are applicable to a worker, the provisions of Article 4 apply based on the amount for the highest minimum wage.

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (1) and Article 40 apply to the amount of minimum wage provided for by the regional minimum wage prescribed in Article 9, paragraph (1).

If an employer has obtained permission from the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the provisions of Article 4 apply to the following workers based on the amount obtained by deducting the amount obtained by multiplying the minimum wage by the rate specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in consideration of their working capacity and other circumstances from the minimum wage amount specified:

An employer to whom minimum wages apply must implement measures to notify workers of the general outline of the minimum wages by displaying the information of the minimum wages at a conspicuous place in the workspace at all times, or through other means, as provided for by Order of the Ministry of health, Labour and Welfare.

①In order to guarantee the amount of minimum wages for low-paid workers, regional minimum wages (meaning minimum wages for each region; the same applies hereinafter) must be established in every region of Japan.

②Regional minimum wages must be established by taking into account the living expenses of workers, wages of workers and the ordinary enterprises' ability to pay the wages, in the region.

③In taking into account of the living expenses of workers set forth in the preceding paragraph, the consistency between regional minimum wages and public assistance policies must be considered to ensure that workers can maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living.

①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau must request a study and deliberation by the Central Minimum Wages Council or a Regional Minimum Wages Council (hereinafter referred to as the "Minimum Wages Council") and decide on the regional minimum wages for each region based on their opinions.

②When the Minimum Wages Council submits its opinions pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau finds it difficult to act in accordance with the opinions, the Minister or the Director must request a redeliberation to the Minimum Wages Council with the reason attached.

①When the opinions of the Minimum Wages Council pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article are submitted, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau must give public notice of the gist of the opinions, as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②Workers in the region pertaining to the opinions of the Minimum Wages Council under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article or employers employing those workers may file an objection with the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau within 15 days from the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

③When the objection pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph has been filed, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau must seek the opinions of the Minimum Wages Council with regard to the objection.

④The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau may not make the decision set forth in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article until 15 days have elapsed from the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1). The same applies until the opinions pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph are submitted by the Minimum Wages Council when an objection pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) has been filed.

The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labour Bureau must decide either to revise or abolish the regional minimum wages in accordance with the procedure to decide on the wages when they find this necessary taking into account of the living expenses and wages of workers, and the ordinary enterprises' ability to pay the wages, in the region.

The provisions of Article 4 apply to dispatched workers prescribed in Article 44, paragraph (1) of the Act on Securing the Proper Operation of Worker Dispatching Businesses and Protecting Dispatched Workers (Act No. 88 of 1985) (referred to as "dispatched workers" in Article 18) on the basis of the amount of minimum wages established by the regional minimum wages decided for the region that includes the location of the place of business of the client engaged in the undertaking (meaning the undertaking engaged by the client of worker dispatch undertaking prescribed in Article 44, paragraph (1); the same applies in Article 18).

①When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau has made a decision concerning the regional minimum wages, they must give public notice of the decided matters as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②A decision on regional minimum wages pursuant the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (1) and a decision to revise the regional minimum wages pursuant to the provisions of Article 12 become effective on the day on which 30 days have elapsed from the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (when there is a day that comes after the day on which 30 days have elapsed from the date of public notice, which is specified by the decision, that day); a decision to abolish the regional minimum wages pursuant to the provisions of Article 12 becomes effective on the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (when there is a day that comes after the date of public notice, which is specified by the decision, that day).

①A person who represents all or a part of workers or employers may request the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau to decide on a minimum wage for a certain type of business or occupation which is applicable to those workers or employers (hereinafter referred to as "specified minimum wages"), or to decide to revise or abolish the specified minimum wages which are actually applied to those workers or employers, as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labour Bureau may request a study and deliberation by the Minimum Wages Council and decide on the specified minimum wages pertaining to the request, or decide to revise or abolish the specified minimum wages pertaining to the request, based on its opinions, if the Minister or the Director finds this necessary when the request pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph has been made.

③The provisions of Article 10, paragraph (2) and Article 11 apply mutatis mutandis to cases where the Minimum Wages Council submits its opinions pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph. In this case, the term "region" in Article 11, paragraph (2) is deemed to be replaced with "business or occupation."

④When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau makes a decision under paragraph (2), if a request is made pursuant to the provisions of Article 11, paragraph (2) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the Minister or the Director may suspend the application of the relevant specified minimum wage for a certain field of business for a limited period of time, or decide on a different rate for the specified minimum wages, based on the opinions of the Minimum Wages Council pursuant to the provisions of Article 11, paragraph (3) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph.

⑤The provisions of Article 10, paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to cases where the Minimum Wages Council submits its opinions pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

The amount of minimum wages established by the specified minimum wages decided on or revised pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article must exceed the amount of minimum wages established by the regional minimum wages decided for the region that includes the location of the place of business of the employer to whom the specified minimum wage is applicable.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (1) and paragraph (2), the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau may decide to abolish the specified minimum wages decided on or revised pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2), in accordance with the procedure to decide on the specified minimum wages, when the Minister or the Director finds that the specified minimum wages decided on or revised have become extremely inappropriate.

When specified minimum wages apply to the same type of business as the client undertaking to which a worker is dispatched for dispatch work, or to the occupation of workers carrying out the same type of work as dispatched workers employed at the same workplace, the provisions of Article 4 apply to the dispatched worker on the basis of the amount of minimum wages established by the specified minimum wages.

①When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Director of a Prefectural Labor Bureau has made a decision concerning specified minimum wages, the Minister or the Director must give public notice of the matters decided as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②A decision on specified minimum wages and a decision to revise the specified minimum wages pursuant to the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (2) become effective on the day on which 30 days have elapsed from the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (when there is a day that comes after the day on which 30 days have elapsed from the date of public notice, which is specified by the decision, that day); and a decision to abolish the specified minimum wages under the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (2) and Article 17 becomes effective on the date of public notice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (when there is a day that comes after the date of public notice, which is specified by the decision, that day).