Â鶹´«Ã½

Tag - wages

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
August 11, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

WAGES

Japan's household spending fell 3.3% in June from a year earlier, led by drops in spending on food and apparel, among others.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 7, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ households continue to cut spending amid persistent inflation
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation dropped 3.3% in June from a year earlier, compared with a 0.9% increase forecast by economists.
Large companies in Japan have seen five consecutive years of bonus growth.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2026
Summer bonuses average record ?1.04 million among major Japan firms
Large companies in Japan have seen five consecutive years of bonus growth.
Nominal wages in Japan climbed 3.4% in June from a year earlier, following a revised 3.3% increase in May, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 5, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ nominal wages rise again, backing BOJ rate hike case
June¡¯s 3.4% rise extended the run of gains exceeding 3% to five months, the longest such streak in 34 years.
The government has lowered its fiscal 2026 real growth forecast to 0.9% from the previous estimate of 1.3% made in January, the Cabinet Office said Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 30, 2026
Japan trims economic outlook as elevated oil prices weigh on growth
The government has cut its projection for real growth in fiscal 2026 to 0.9% from the January forecast of 1.3%.
Japan's Labor Ministry advisory panel on Tuesday recommended raising the nationwide average minimum hourly wage by 4.9% to ?1,176 for the current fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2026
Ministry panel recommends 4.9% minimum wage boost, supporting BOJ rate hike path
The new wage floor, which would apply to over 50 million workers, is expected to gradually take effect starting in October.
A labor ministry panel has entered the final stage of its discussions on fiscal 2026's minimum wage, with labor seeking a record increase while employers urge caution over the burden it would have on smaller businesses.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 27, 2026
Labor-management gap remains wide at Â鶹´«Ã½ minimum wage panel
Labor representatives are seeking a record ?75 increase, but management representatives say smaller companies may not be able to afford it due to the Middle East turmoil.
After the suprapartisan National Conference on Social Security working-level meeting, Itsunori Onodera (left), chairperson of the LDP¡¯s Research Commission on the Tax System, speaks to reporters at the Diet building on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2026
Japan National Council chief modifies draft of new benefit program
The revision proposes concrete support measures, including benefit payments to low-income earners and people who cannot work due to diseases or disabilities, in fiscal 2029.
A customer checks eyeglasses in a section featuring limited-edition eyeglasses available only at the Jins Shinjuku store in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2026
Shoppers splurge on specs in Japan as deflation-era mindset fades away
As inflation reshapes behavior, Japanese eyeglass company Jins is working to prove higher prices are justified by delivering better materials, sharper designs and improved quality.
Japan's nominal wages rose 3.2% in May from a year earlier, marking a fourth straight month of wage growth of at least 3%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ nominal wage rises top 3% again in longest streak since 1992
Employers are showing they are committed to raising pay despite difficulties related to the Middle East conflict that have disrupted supply chains and boosted inflation.
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%, according to the group¡¯s final tally released Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2026 wage talks result in third year of gains above 5%
Workers at 5,368 companies affiliated with Rengo, the country¡¯s largest labor union group, have secured an average wage increase of 5.01%.
The weighted average amount of summer bonuses rose 1.88% from a year before to ?1,008,706, thanks to robust corporate earnings and base salary hikes.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2026
Summer bonuses at major Japan firms top ?1 million for first time
The weighted average amount of summer bonuses rose 1.88% from a year before to ?1,008,706, thanks to robust corporate earnings and base salary hikes.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might take a more pragmatic approach in pushing up the lowest wages in Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2026
Government signals flexibility on ?1,500 minimum wage target
Its annual policy guidelines indicate the much-discussed goal could be reached early next decade rather than by the end of this decade.
The government is considering delaying its goal of raising Japan's average minimum hourly wage to ?1,500 until the first half of the 2030s.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2026
Japan mulls delaying minimum wage hike
Â鶹´«Ã½ average minimum hourly wages in fiscal 2025, which ended in March, stood at ?1,121, up 6.3%?from the preceding year.
Nomura Holdings CEO Kentaro Okuda¡¯s compensation rose to ?1.6 billion ($10 million) in the year that ended on March 31.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2026
Nomura raises CEO pay to $10 million after profit hits a record
Under Kentaro Okuda¡¯s leadership, Â鶹´«Ã½ biggest brokerage generated a second straight year of record net income.
The pharmaceutical industry is among the most strained sectors, with profits squeezed by drug price cuts and rising costs amid Middle East tensions, according to Shunji Horitani, president of the Japanese Federation of Energy and Chemistry Workers¡¯ Unions.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
Wage gains at Â鶹´«Ã½ smaller firms at risk as Iran war drags on
Many of such companies lack the pricing power to fully pass rising costs on to customers because of intense competition and entrenched business practices.
More than 70% of small and midsize companies said they have raised or plan to raise wages in fiscal 2026.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Smaller firms in Japan raise pay by 4.29% in fiscal 2026
Wage growth expanded from 4.03% a year before, reflecting employers¡¯ continued efforts to secure human resources amid rising inflation.
South Korea's labor minister said companies like Samsung that outperform profit targets should consider sharing excess gains with suppliers, subcontractors and their workers.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2026
South Korea minister calls on tech firms to share excess AI profits with suppliers and staff
The government, businesses and unions should discuss how to share ¡°excess profits¡± and narrow the gap between conglomerates and smaller suppliers, Kim Young-hoon said.
Samsung Electronics workers chant slogans during a rally ahead of a planned strike outside the company's semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 5, 2026
Do Â鶹´«Ã½ chip workers need a Samsung-style strike?
Even as Tokyo firms prepare to award customary summer bonuses, there will be nothing on the scale that South Korean companies are offering.
Â鶹´«Ã½ real wages have risen 1.9% from a year earlier, extending gains to a fourth month and reinforcing expectations for another Bank of Japan rate hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 5, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ real wages rise for fourth month, backing BOJ hike
Inflation-adjusted wages rose 1.9% from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.4% gain in the previous month, the labor ministry reported Friday.
Inflation-adjusted wages increased 1% in March from a year earlier, slowing from a revised 2% gain in February, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ real wages rise for third month to keep BOJ on hike path
It remains unclear whether higher wages will lift consumption.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER