On July 13, 2026, South Korean media Herald Economy reported that although Japan's minimum wage has been significantly raised in recent years, the rise in food prices has surpassed it, leading to a decline in real purchasing power.

According to the article, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the minimum wage in Osaka Prefecture increased by 22.1% from 964 yen per hour in 2020 to 1177 yen in 2025, and last year's increase was the largest ever. However, during the same period, food prices rose even more sharply, and the amount of food that could be purchased with one hour's minimum wage decreased. Based on government retail price statistics, a comparison of ingredient costs for breakfast consisting of bread, milk, and eggs showed an increase of about 25% over 5 years. The amount of breakfast that could be prepared with one hour's minimum wage decreased from 10.1 servings to 9.8 servings.

Furthermore, the situation is even more serious for rice-based breakfasts. Against the backdrop of abnormal weather and supply shortages, rice prices soared, and the ingredient costs for a breakfast of rice, egg, and miso soup rose by 54% over 5 years. As a result, the amount of food that could be purchased with one hour's minimum wage decreased from 11.6 servings to 9.2 servings, representing a greater decline in purchasing power than for bread-based meals. The Osaka Bar Association estimates that approximately 274,000 yen per month is needed for young people to live a decent life in the region. On the other hand, it states that even if one works the maximum legal working hours at the current minimum wage, the monthly income would only be approximately 204,000 yen, and is therefore calling for a further increase in the minimum wage.

The article also introduced that soaring food prices are continuing in South Korea as well. In the 2024 purchasing power parity (PPP) based price statistics published by the OECD, South Korea's price index for food and non-alcoholic beverages was 146, exceeding the OECD average (100) by 46%, making it the second highest among the 38 member countries, following Switzerland. This level is higher than Japan (121), the United States (107), France (100), Germany (95.2), and the United Kingdom (91.4).

Regarding this, South Korean netizens commented, 'Japan is also having a hard time with high prices,' 'Even if the minimum wage goes up, it's meaningless if prices go up even more,' 'Korea is not exempt from this either,' and 'In the end, what's important is not the wage itself, but the actual standard of living.'

Also, comments such as, 'Japan's minimum hourly wage is lower than Korea's, and food is cheaper there,' 'Japan used to be a developed country far ahead of Korea,' 'In both Japan and Korea, severe wealth inequality destroys society,' 'When wages go up, prices go up, but even if wages go down, prices don't get cheaper,' 'Both Japan and Korea are becoming countries where the weak yen and weak won make it impossible to go abroad, and living domestically is also difficult,' and 'I'm worried about what will happen to the lives of ordinary people' were also seen.