Record Increase Proposed For Japan's Minimum Wage
A Japanese government panel has recommended a record increase for the country's average minimum wage.
The labor ministry panel, which includes representatives from unions and corporate management, discussed this fiscal year's increase in the minimum hourly wage on Monday last week, but they couldn't reach a conclusion. The members met again on Monday and discussed the issue for about seven hours.
The panel proposed raising the nationwide average minimum wage by a record 31 yen, to 961 yen an hour. That is about 7 dollars and 30 cents.
The increase is the biggest since the government began compiling data in fiscal 2002. The minimum wage level set for each prefecture will be based on this panel's recommendation.
The government had set the goal of the average minimum hourly wage reaching 1,000 yen.