Editorial

16:24 JST, March 13, 2025

Although many companies have agreed to make considerable wage increases in this year’s shunto spring negotiations, this is only the halfway point on the path to overcoming high prices.

The government should rethink the measures it has been taking to spread the wave of wage increases to small and midsize enterprises and to ensure the high level of wage increases will actually improve people’s lives.

In the shunto negotiations, major companies in the automobile, electronics and other industries have responded across the board to their unions’ demands for higher wages. Toyota Motor Corp. met the full amount demanded for the fifth consecutive year, and a wide range of manufacturing companies agreed to high levels of wage increases.

Hitachi, Ltd. offered a pay-scale increase, or base pay raise, of ¥17,000 per month, matching the full amount demanded.........

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