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June 30, 2026
 

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WAGES

"She has a good vision,” says Masahiro Kihara, CEO of Mizuho Financial Group, referring to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's pro-growth policies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 4, 2025
Mizuho’s CEO says he sees policy tailwinds from Takaichi and BOJ
Masahiro Kihara said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had “good vision,” referring to her policy initiatives, while the central bank has “room for another hike or two.”
Prices of 143 products from major Japanese food and beverage makers will rise in November.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Prices of 143 food items to rise in Japan in November
The figure is down 58.4% from a year earlier and marks the first decline in 11 months, according to research firm Teikoku Databank.
Job hunting and recruitment both may have become less active in September ahead of minimum wage hikes beginning in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Japan’s September job availability ratio stays unchanged
Job hunting and recruitment may have become less active in September ahead of minimum wage hikes in October, and some companies may have curbed hiring due to earnings drops.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino speaks at a news conference on Thursday. She said the union is looking to make wage hikes a normal occurrence.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 23, 2025
Japan’s unions seek minimum 5% wage hike in upcoming pay talks
Sanae Takaichi’s tenure and the central bank’s policy path could be affected if Japan can’t keep up its wage-hike momentum.
The precarious work of training AI, which generally pays just a few dollars, has sparked a movement for better wages and conditions globally.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 18, 2025
Grueling, low-paid human work behind generative AI curtain
The precarious work of training AI has sparked a movement for better wages and conditions stretching from Kenya to Colombia.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his intention to resign on Sept. 7.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
Ishiba to leave office with a mixed record on the economy
The outgoing prime minister achieved a few successes and left some important business unfinished.
Nominal wages rose 1.5% in August from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.4% in the previous month, according to a report from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2025
Japan’s wage growth slows, underscoring challenge for Takaichi
Nominal wages increased 1.5% in August from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.4% in the previous month and falling below economist expectations.
The average salary for men was ¥5.87 million, up 3.2%, and that of women was ¥3.33 million, up 5.5%, both marking record highs.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2025
Japan private-sector pay hits record in 2024
The average grew for the fourth consecutive year. The pace of increase exceeded 3% for the first time in 33 years.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino at a symposium in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2025
Japan’s top union group advised to seek 5% pay hike during spring talks
An expert panel report stressed that the 2026 shunto will be a crucial opportunity to firmly establish a healthy cycle of rising wages and prices.
Takaya Awata, president of Toridoll Holdings, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 18, 2025
Marugame Seimen noodle restaurant managers to see raise of up to ¥20 million
Eatery chain operator Toridoll Holdings’ president also indicated the company may extend the plan to other restaurant chains in the group.
The average summer bonus for employees of major companies in Japan has now increased for the fourth year in a row.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2025
Summer bonuses at major Japan firms hit record
The shipbuilding, retail and finance sectors all posted significant jumps, while both the steel and service industries saw an overall decline.
Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany, in March 2022.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2025
Tesla offers unprecedented $1 trillion pay package to Musk
The long-awaited proposal, designed to incentivize Musk to lead Tesla for years to come, sets a series of ambitious benchmarks he must meet to earn the full payout.
Minimum hourly wages in Japan's 47 prefectures are set to average ¥1,121, up by a record ¥66 from the previous year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2025
Japan to hike minimum wage by record amount, backing BOJ’s rate hikes
A record 6.3% increase takes the minimum wage to an average of ¥1,121 per hour across the country’s 47 prefectures, the largest increase since 1978.
Japan's nominal wages increased 4.1% in July from a year earlier, marking the steepest increase since December.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2025
Japan’s wages make biggest gain in seven months, backing case for rate hike
Real wages also rose for the first time this year in July, edging up by 0.5%.
Rengo is mulling over a third term for its president, Tomoko Yoshino.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2025
Rengo considering third term for leader Tomoko Yoshino
Yoshino’s second two-year term as president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation is set to end in October.
The Finance Ministry building in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2025
Government agencies’ fiscal 2026 budget requests hit record
The total requested amount rose sharply from ¥117.6 trillion in the previous year to ¥122.4 trillion.
Bank of Japan rate hikes may continue though trade uncertainties remain, board member Junko Nakagawa says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 28, 2025
BOJ board member reaffirms stance on raising interest rates
Junko Nakagawa’s remarks indicate there’s at most a low chance of a move coming at the board’s next meeting, which concludes on Sept. 19, as of now.
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 25, 2025
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
Many prefectures are choosing increases higher than the 6% suggested by the ministry.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda (second from left) walks with Fed Chair Jerome Powell (left), European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde (second from right) and Bank of England Gov. Andrew Bailey outside the Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2025
BOJ’s Ueda expects tight labor market to keep upward pressure on wages
The remarks are likely to support growing speculation of another interest rate hike this year, although the BOJ governor didn’t directly discuss monetary policy in a presentation.
Giants special advisor to baseball operations Dusty Baker looks on before the game against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Aug. 8.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 22, 2025
MLB greats warn lockout or strike would derail sport’s momentum
The current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association expires next year.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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