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MHLW Announces Special Employment Subsidy Measures for Businesses Affected by 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake
Labor Law & Employment

MHLW Announces Special Employment Subsidy Measures for Businesses Affected by 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has introduced special provisions under its Industrial Employment Stability Subsidy for employers affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, offering higher subsidy rates for companies sending workers on temporary secondment.

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Key Points

  • • MHLW created a special subsidy course for employers affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake
  • • Subsidy covers wages during employee secondments between Oct 1, 2026 and Sept 30, 2027
  • • Subsidy rate is 4/5 for SMEs and 2/3 for larger companies
  • • Sending employers must be based in Kumamoto Prefecture; receiving employers can be anywhere in Japan

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced on October 15, 2026, that it will implement special measures under the Industrial Employment Stability Subsidy (産業雇用安定助成金) in response to the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake [1]. The measures are aimed at business operators who have been forced to scale back operations and carry out employment adjustments due to economic conditions caused by the earthquake [1].

According to the ministry, the special provisions were deliberated by the Employment Security Subcommittee of the Labour Policy Council on the day of the announcement, and the ministry received a formal response from the council [1]. MHLW stated it would promptly issue and enforce the related ministerial ordinances [1].

The new program is called the "Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake Disaster Special Personnel Securing Support Course" under the Industrial Employment Stability Subsidy [1]. It covers two categories of employers: the "sending employer," defined as a business operator in Kumamoto Prefecture who has been forced to temporarily scale back business activities due to economic reasons stemming from the earthquake, and the "receiving employer," defined as any business operator nationwide that accepts workers seconded from such Kumamoto-based employers [1].

Subsidy rates are set at four-fifths (4/5) for small and medium-sized enterprises and two-thirds (2/3) for larger enterprises [1]. The subsidy covers wages paid during the secondment period, specifically for secondments carried out between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027 [1]. MHLW specified that the special measures apply to secondments implemented within this same window, from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 [1].

MHLW has also released a leaflet providing further details on the subsidy program, available as a reference document from the ministry [1].

The sources do not specify application procedures, deadlines for employer applications, or whether individual workers need to take any action themselves, so affected employees should check with their employer or the ministry directly for further guidance [1].

Source credit 出典：「令和８年熊本地震に伴う産業雇用安定助成金の特例を実施します」（厚生労働省）（https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_76532.html）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare did not write or review it.

Sources

This article was written by AI from these Japanese-language reports. Check them before acting on anything here.

  1. [1] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — original report (Japanese)

AI-written summary of Japanese reports; not human-reviewed; check the linked sources. How we write articles