Japan Wages Rising Most Since 1997 Not Enough to Beat Inflation

Japanese wages rose in July by the most since 1997, helping consumers cope with increasing living costs as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tries to reflate the world’s third-biggest economy.

Average monthly earnings climbed 2.6 percent from a year earlier after a 1 percent gain in June, the labor ministry said in Tokyo today. Adjusted for inflation, pay shrank 1.4 percent, the 13th straight month of declines.