From October, several changes will affect workers and household budgets in Japan. Employers and local governments will be required to address customer harassment; the ¥1.06 million annual-wage threshold for social-insurance eligibility will be phased out; alcohol taxes will be adjusted; and electricity and gas subsidies will end.
The revised labor law applies to all companies and municipalities. Employers must set clear response policies and establish consultation channels. Customer harassment covers unreasonable conduct that harms a worker’s environment, including coercive demands, intimidation, persistent abuse and harassment on social media. The government can issue guidance or recommendations and publicly identify entities that fail to comply.
Rules for part-time workers’ social insurance are changing. The so-called ¥1.06 million income threshold, tied to monthly wages of at least ¥88,000, had effectively ceased to apply by the end of March as minimum wages rose. Other conditions remain: at least 20 working hours a week, employment at a company with 51 or more workers, and non-student status. The company-size test is scheduled for phased removal from October 2027. Wider coverage should strengthen pension and health protection, although authorities will need to address workers cutting hours to avoid premiums.
Self-employed people and freelancers raising a child will be able to apply for exemption from national pension contributions until the child turns one. The standard contribution for fiscal 2026 is ¥17,920 a month. Exempt months will count as paid, so the measure will not reduce future pension benefits.
Alcohol-tax rates for beer, happoshu and third-category beer will be unified at ¥54.25 per 350 millilitres. The tax on beer will fall by about ¥9, while rates on happoshu and third-category beer will rise by about ¥7. Taxes on chu-hi and sours will increase from ¥28 to ¥35 per 350 millilitres.
Food and drink prices are also rising across about 3,000 items in October. Kirin Beverage plans increases of 5–18% on 166 tea products; Glico, 3–15% on 169 items; and Toyo Suisan, 8–14% on 195 chilled-food and noodle products. Companies cite higher raw-material, energy, transport and labor costs, alongside a weaker yen and Middle East uncertainty.
Government subsidies for electricity and gas will end for October consumption. Electricity support had been ¥3.5 per kilowatt-hour in July and September and ¥4.5 in August; gas support was ¥14 per cubic metre in July and September and ¥18 in August. With the subsidy ending, a regulated household bill in Tokyo Electric Power’s service area is forecast to reach ¥9,307 for October use, a record.