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Outline of the 2026 Economic Census for Business Activity

Objectives

The Economic Census for Business Activity (hereinafter referred to as ?the EC?) is conducted to obtain fundamental data for various public policies.

This is achieved by comprehensively capturing key economic information, such as sales (revenue) and costs, across all industrial sectors and clarifying the actual economic structure in Japan at the national and regional levels.

Expected outcomes

Comprehensive Coverage: To establish primary statistical information covering all industries in principle, providing essential data for the System of National Accounts (SNA) and Input-Output Tables.
Service Economy Integration: To systematically develop statistical data for the tertiary sector, reflecting its growing significance within the national economy.
Population Registry & Sampling: To maintain population information for various surveys on establishments and enterprises, including sampling criteria, cut-off threshold, and benchmark data for population reconstruction.
Addressing Diversification: To develop statistics and population data that capture the diversification of business activities, moving beyond industry-specific frameworks that only reflect single-sector realities.
Regional Economic Insights: To provide primary reports on regional economic activities as a foundation for Regional GDP, as well as for regional I-O Tables and the implementation of localized policies.
Administrative Support: To compile fundamental data necessary for administrative measures, including the clearing of local consumption taxes, calculation of local allocation taxes, and the distribution of subsidies for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) promotion.

Legal basis

The EC is a fundamental statistical survey conducted under the Statistics Act (Act No. 53 of 2007).
Fundamental statistical surveys include an obligation to report and a confidentiality obligation

Coverage

All establishments and enterprises nationwide are subject to this survey, except for the following:

Individual-operated establishments belonging to Major Division A (Agriculture and Forestry) of the Japan Standard Industrial Classification (JSIC).
Individual-operated establishments belonging to Major Division B (Fisheries).
Establishments belonging to Minor Group 792 (Domestic services) under Major Division N (Living-related and personal services and amusement services).
Establishments belonging to Medium Group 96 (Foreign governments and international agencies in Japan) under Major Division R (Services, n.e.c.).

Note: This survey is mandatory under the Statistics Act.

Date of the Census

The survey will be carried out as of June 1, 2026

Survey Items

Survey A (for privately owned establishments)

Basic items: name and telephone number, location, type of establishment, number of persons engaged, main business activity, etc.
Financial items: capital and ratio of foreign equity, sales (income), expenses, sales (income) by industry groups, etc.

Survey B (for national and local governments)

Basic items: name, location, number of persons engaged, main business activity

Methods

Survey A (for privately owned establishments)

Enumerator Survey

This survey targets relatively small-scale entities, such as single-unit establishments and sole proprietors.

In April 2026, documents for online response will be mailed to respondents. For establishments that do not respond online or are newly identified, an enumerator will deliver a questionnaire. The enumerator will collect the completed paper questionnaire.

There are approximately 70,000 enumerators nationwide, and they are special local public employees appointed by the prefectural governors. Enumerators also go on patrolling their assigned areas to identify any newly established businesses.

MIC/METI - Prefecture - Municipality - Enumerator/Supervisor - Establishments

Direct Survey

To enterprises having head and branch offices, the relevant authorities mailed Questionnaires directly, and had them sent back (either printed or electronic Questionnaires) by mail or the Internet.

MIC/METI - Establishments
MIC/METI - Prefecture - Establishments
MIC/METI - Prefecture - Municipality - Establishments

Survey B (for national and local governments)

To national and local goverments, the relevant authorities send questionnaire forms to each establishment by email.

MIC/METI - Establishments
MIC/METI - Prefecture - Establishments
MIC/METI - Prefecture - Municipality - Establishments

Publication and Tabulation

Preliminary results will be released sequentially from the end of May 2027.

Final results will be released sequentially from around September 2027.

All released reports can be viewed on e-Stat.

Use of Results (Utilization of Data)

The results of the EC are widely utilized as fundamental data for the planning and implementation of various policies by national and local governments. Furthermore, businesses themselves extensively use this data as a strategic reference for management.

Administrative Utilization

1. Use based on laws, regulations, and policy planning:

Settlement of Local Consumption Taxes: Used as basic data for the calculation of Local Allocation Taxes and the settlement (clearing) of local consumption taxes.
Regional Revitalization Policies: Used as a foundation for formulating regional policies, such as Basic Plans for Central City Revitalization and Basic Policies for the Revitalization of Hilly and Mountainous Areas.
Support for SMEs and Small Businesses: Employed as basic data for institutional design and the calculation of various subsidies targeting SMEs and small-scale businesses.
Population Policies: Used as basic data for addressing population decline, promoting permanent residency, and other demographic strategies.
Disaster Prevention Policies: Utilized in the formulation of Local Disaster Management Plans and the estimation of economic damage in earthquake impact assessments.

2. Utilization in National Accounts (GDP), Input-Output Tables, and White Papers

Estimation of National Accounts: Providing essential data for GDP statistics.
Compilation of Input-Output Tables: Serving as a primary data source for constructing national and regional I-O tables.
Analysis in Government White Papers: Used for economic and industrial analysis in various official white papers published by the government.

Educational and Private Sector Utilization

Educational Field: Used as reference material for supplementary social studies textbooks in elementary and junior high schools, etc.

Private Sector: Used as fundamental data for business expansion, such as analyzing the distribution of existing stores to develop plans for new store openings.