Japan's wages fell in January at their fastest pace in six months, continuing a downward direction in December, Reuters reported.
Real wages fell 0.9% in January from the prior-year period, labor ministry data showed. The figure followed a 0.3% annual decrease in December 2017, and marked the biggest fall since a 1.1% annual decrease in July 2017.
The fall in real wages suggests the Bank of Japan's 2% inflation target is likely to remain a distant goal despite almost five years of massive stimulus spending.
Falling real wages also suggest the government would have to struggle to convince companies to raise wages by 3% or more this year at annual negotiations with labor unions.
