⚖️ Equal Pay Rules Tighten — Bonuses & Family Allowances Now Covered

❓ What's changing?

On April 28, 2026, the revised ministerial ordinance and notifications on "equal pay for equal work" were promulgated, taking effect on October 1, 2026. There are three pillars. (1) The working conditions disclosed at hiring must now include a statement that you may request an explanation of the content and reasons for differences in treatment. (2) The Equal Pay Guideline newly adds or expands coverage of bonuses, retirement allowance, accident-free allowance, family allowance, housing allowance, welfare facilities, sick leave, summer/winter leave and long-service awards. (3) When asked, the employer must explain either by "explaining orally using materials" or by "providing easy-to-understand materials covering every required item." Dispatch (haken) workers are covered as well as part-time and fixed-term workers.

👥 Who is covered

• ●Foreign residents working part-time or arubaito
• ●Fixed-term contract workers (keiyaku shain, shokutaku, etc.)
• ●Dispatch (haken) workers — also covered by this revision
• ●Students and dependents working under permission for activity outside their status
• ●Specified Skilled Workers and technical interns on fixed-term contracts

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

Foreign residents in Japan are heavily concentrated in part-time, fixed-term and dispatch work, so they are among the most affected. Family and housing allowances, bonuses and retirement pay have often been treated as "regular employees only," but the revised guideline states they should be paid equally where, for example, repeated contract renewals mean reasonably continuous employment is expected. Explanatory materials must also be "easy to understand," which matters a great deal if Japanese is not your first language.