Japan’s Real Wages Rise For Third Month to Keep BOJ on Hike Path

Japanese workers’ real wages rose in March for a third consecutive month, supporting the Bank of Japan’s case for further interest rate hikes even as the Middle East conflict clouds the economic outlook.

Inflation-adjusted wages increased 1% from a year earlier, slowing from a revised 2% gain in February, the labor ministry reported Friday. While the result fell short of economists’ forecast of 1.8% growth, it marked the first time since 2021 that real wages climbed for three straight months.