In brief
Japanese workers saw inflation‑adjusted wages rise 2.2% in September, the ninth consecutive month of growth. Nominal wages jumped 4.6%, reaching an average of about 311,000 yen per worker, while consumer price inflation slowed to 2.4%. The rise follows a 12‑month period of falling real wages in 2025.
Tokyo, Nov. 6 – Japan’s inflation‑adjusted real wages in September rose 2.2 percent from a year earlier, the ninth month of consecutive growth, government data showed Friday. The increase reflected pay hikes secured in this year’s spring labor negotiations, as well as a slower pace of inflation compared with a year earlier, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
Nominal wages, measured by total cash earnings including base pay, overtime pay and special payments, climbed 4.6 percent to an average of 311,409 yen (about 1,973 U.S. dollars) per worker, according to the preliminary data covering businesses with five or more employees. Consumer prices used to calculate real wages rose 2.4 percent in September, compared with 3.4 percent a year earlier.
Japan’s real wages rose 2.2 percent in September from a year earlier, marking its ninth consecutive monthly gain, according to Jiji Press. The recent gains follow a 12‑month stretch of declining real wages from January to December 2025.
