TOKYO, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japan's inflation-adjusted real wages in September rose 2.2 percent from a year earlier, marking the ninth consecutive month of 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.
The recent gains follow a 12-month stretch of declining real wages from January to December 2025. ■