Central and local government employees got smaller winter bonuses than usual Thursday as the protracted recession took its toll on compensation, according to estimates from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.
The bonus for a 35 1/2-year-old civil servant with a nonmanagerial job came to an average of ¥647,200, down 6.6 percent, while that for a 36.6-year-old local government employee came to ¥607,000, down 7.3 percent, the ministry said.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Hironobu Takesaki received ¥5.58 million, the highest bonus among all civil servants.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama would have got the same amount but received ¥3.83 million because he took office Sept. 16. The sum includes ¥3.07 million for time served as a member of the Lower House.
Cabinet ministers received ¥3.37 million. They would have made ¥4.07 million if they had served full terms.
Among those in administrative positions, the highest paid were the vice ministers, who have the top posts in the bureaucracy and received bonuses of ¥3.16 million. Directors general, the top position in government bureaus, received ¥2.41 million.