Japan
In June 2026, Argentina, British Columbia (Canada), France and Luxembourg increased their minimum wage rates.
In May 2026, Turkey doubled the length of paternity leave from five to 10 days. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
In Turkey, maternity leave was extended from 16 to 24 weeks from 1 May 2026. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
Enhanced to include new information on India.
Updated to include new information on temporary employment agency work in Germany.
In April 2026, there have been important developments to gender pay gap reporting rules around the world. In Japan, there are additional gender pay gap disclosure obligations. In Australia, relevant private-sector employers must choose and declare their targets between 1 April and 31 May 2026. In the UK, employers with 250+ employees may produce and publish a voluntary action plan alongside their gender pay gap data.
Expanded gender pay gap disclosure obligations apply from 1 April 2026.
Additional gender pay gap disclosure obligations apply from 1 April 2026. Relevant employers are now required to report on their gender gap pay gap and the ratio of female managers.
Employers should take proactive steps to establish appropriate systems and measures to ensure that they can respond properly to consultations from workers receiving medical treatment from April 2026.
Updated to include additional information on leave requirements in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Switzerland, UAE, UK and US.
HR and legal information and guidance relating to Japan.