Employees of the central and local governments received Friday slightly larger winter bonuses than last year.

Central government workers in regular administrative positions, excluding those in managerial posts, got an average of about 682,000 yen, up 6,000 yen or 0.9 percent, from a year earlier.

Local government employees were paid about 651,000 yen on average, up 2,000 yen, or 0.3 percent.

The bonus for both local and central government employees equaled 2.35 months' wages, up from 2.3 months a year earlier.

The rise in this year's winter bonuses was attributed to a decision by the National Personnel Authority to increase annual bonuses to 4.45 months' wages this year from 4.4 months last year. Half the year's bonuses are paid in summer.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Supreme Court Chief Justice Akira Machida, who both hold "special duty positions," received the highest winter bonuses, of around 6.1 million yen, according to an estimate by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.

Cabinet ministers received about 4.45 million yen each for their work over the past six months. But because the current ministers took the posts in September, their bonuses were reduced. Diet members got about 3.31 million yen each.

Among those in regular administrative positions, the highest paid were deputy ministers, who hold the top bureaucratic posts. They were paid bonuses of about 3.56 million yen.