TOKYO, Oct 06 (NHK) - Japan's real wages fell in August for the 17th straight month as inflation continued to outpace pay gains.
Preliminary figures from the labor ministry show that inflation-adjusted wages dropped 2.5 percent from the same month a year ago. The number comes from a survey of more than 30,000 businesses nationwide.
Workers in August earned an average of 282,700 yen, or about 1,900 dollars, including overtime. That's a gain of 1.1 percent from a year earlier, climbing for the 20th straight month, but the increase couldn't keep up with rising consumer prices.
Source: ANNnewsCH