Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has clarified that a 10 percent salary increase for employees, previously reported as a current development, actually took place in April 2023. The clarification emerged from the delayed official publication of Nintendo's shareholder Q&A session.
Furukawa explained Nintendo's fundamental approach to compensation, stating, “Our fundamental approach is to set salary levels appropriately, taking into account industry trends and broader social conditions. Salaries form the foundation of our employees’ livelihoods; if pay were to fluctuate drastically based on business performance, it would be difficult for them to work with peace of mind. We believe that setting appropriate compensation levels is crucial to maintaining an environment where employees can take on the challenge of creating new forms of entertainment without fear of failure.”
He further detailed that base salaries in Japan were increased by 10 percent in April 2023. Furukawa also noted that the company has continued to review its compensation system, implementing further salary increases, including for starting pay, in April 2026. This suggests an ongoing commitment to adjusting remuneration based on employee capabilities and market conditions.
Much of the initial reporting was based on live coverage from the X account NStyles, which attended the shareholder meeting and posted updates in Japanese. Machine translations of these unofficial posts led to the widespread understanding that Nintendo was currently providing staff with a 10 percent raise. The subsequent official posting of the Q&A, albeit through machine translation, revealed the raise was a past event.
Questions surrounding the nature of the original question also arise. While NStyles' coverage framed the query around Nintendo's lack of a labor union and how it shares profits with employees, the official Nintendo publication rephrased the question as simply, "How do you share the company’s success with employees?" As shareholder Q&A sessions are private and not recorded, it is impossible to independently verify the exact phrasing. NStyles has confirmed to Kotaku that they heard the question framed around the absence of a union, and Nintendo has been contacted for further details. The discrepancy in how the question was presented in the official versus unofficial coverage remains a point of interest.