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July 12, 2026
 

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SHUNTO

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
Japan’s 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%.
Shigeru Aizawa, head of employee benefits in the empowerment division at Tokyo-based Freee
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 27, 2026
Shadow raises pitched as option for cash-strapped Japanese companies
Benefits, discounts and freebies can increase compensation without triggering a big tax hit for employees and employers.
Labor unions under Rengo have so far secured an average pay increase of 5.26% in wage negotiations with employers, according to an initial tally.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 23, 2026
Japan’s key labor union wins wage hike topping 5% for third year
The development will likely keep the central bank on track for another interest rate hike in the coming months.
An official of the Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions writes down companies’ response to labor unions’ demands in wage negotiations in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 19, 2026
Many major Japanese companies agree to pay hike demands in full
Close attention is being paid to whether the wage hike momentum will spread to small companies, which employ about 70% of all workers in Japan.
The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, holds a meeting late last month to call for robust wage hikes in this year's shuntō spring offensive.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2026
Japan electronics unions to accept pay scale hike of ¥12,000 or more
The hike is intended to help sustainably realize robust pay increases outpacing inflation.
Nissan agreed to raise monthly salaries by ¥10,000, including pay scale increases, and to provide bonuses equivalent to five months' salary this year.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2026
Nissan accepts union’s wage hike demand in full
The struggling Japanese automaker agreed to raise monthly salaries by ¥10,000, including pay scale increases, and to provide bonuses equivalent to five months’ salary this year.
Real wages have been falling in Japan for a number of years despite high nominal increases.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2026
Unions seeking wage increases this year of almost 6%
The spring offensive results are likely to be in line with last year’s.
Some 466 unions affiliated with UA Zensen are seeking a pay raise of 6.46% for regular workers on a weighted average, according to a tally released Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2026
Japanese labor union group sets more ambitious pay goal as BOJ watches
The push by UA Zensen, which represents unions across the retail, restaurants, materials and service sectors, follows other labor groups’ ambitious targets.
Mazda Motor has fully met union demands by offering pay-scale and regular pay increases of ¥19,000 in total a month.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2026
Mazda, Mitsubishi and Yamaha fully meet union wage hike demands
The companies are apparently aiming to maintain pay hike momentum amid the tough business environment caused by U.S. tariffs.
Hitachi Vice President Susumu Takimoto answers questions about the 2026 spring wage negotiations on Thursday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Wage talks begin in earnest at Japanese electronics-makers
Unions at Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and other large companies requested a pay scale increase of ¥18,000 per month, bigger than last year’s record-high demand.
The Japanese Association of Metal, Machinery and Manufacturing Workers holds a meeting in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Jan. 16.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2026
Small firms in Japan struggling to raise wages
It is difficult for small companies to narrow the pay gap with large corporations at a time when prolonged inflation is driving up costs.
Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, delivers a speech at the Keidanren labor management forum in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2026
Full wage talks start in Japan with labor management forum
Pay hikes have yet to catch up with inflation in Japan, with real wages extending their losing streak to 11 months as of November.
Masashi Jinbo, head of the Japanese Electrical Electronic and Information Union, speaks at a union meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2026
Japanese electronics unions to demand pay scale hike of over ¥18,000
Last year, member unions of the Japanese Electrical Electronic and Information Union demanded an increase of at least ¥17,000.
Japan’s largest trade union federation, Rengo, was seeking a wage increase of at least 5% as wage talks between unions and employers kicked off Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 27, 2026
Japan business lobby warns of tariff impact as wage talks start
The head of Japan’s biggest business lobby said he expects businesses to maintain wage hike momentum to a certain extent during the talks despite some “clearly very tough factors.”
Tomoko Yoshino, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, commonly known as Rengo, speaks during a rally in April 2023.
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2026
Rengo leader seeks average 5% wage hikes for third consecutive year
The union leader expressed a wish to “build momentum around the idea that wages rise,” reaffirming the largest Japanese labor group’s target of at least 5% in pay increases.
Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui (left), Ken Kobayashi (center), head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Keizai Doyukai Chairman Akio Yamaguchi at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2026
Japanese business leaders positive about continuing wage hikes
One of the key challenges in upcoming negotiations is to extend the trend of significant wage increases beyond large companies.
Katahiro Yasukochi, head of the Japanese Association of Metal, Machinery and Manufacturing Workers, explains the group’s wage hike demand in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2025
Japan small makers’ unions to seek ¥17,000 pay scale hike
The Japanese Association of Metal, Machinery and Manufacturing Workers will make its largest-ever demand to narrow the wage gap between small and larger firms.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino (center) and others rally during the organization's central committee meeting on Friday in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 28, 2025
Labor group Rengo to seek wage hike of 5% or more for next year
The umbrella body for labor unions across the country will aim to achieve the levels of pay hikes attained this year to improve the living standards of workers.
The Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions says it will demand the same level of pay scale hike as what was sought last year, which was the highest since it moved to the current way of requesting pay scale hikes by specifying amounts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 27, 2025
Key labor group to seek pay scale hike of at least ¥12,000 per month
Despite concerns over impacts on corporate earnings from high U.S. tariffs, the Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions aims to realize wage increases above inflation.
Labor unions in Japan have already made clear they will again demand bumper pay hikes, as real wage growth has remained negative despite hefty increases in recent years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 24, 2025
Early signs for 2026 wages bolster case for near-term BOJ rate hike
Sustained wage growth would underpin private consumption, giving Japan’s central bank confidence to raise rates without derailing Japan’s economic recovery.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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