, Columnist
Japan Asks If It’s Better to Flip Burgers Than Work at a Megabank
The weak yen makes the wages of Japan’s long-suffering workers seem absurdly low.
Fries with that?
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
In the 1840s, tens of thousands of immigrants descended upon California seeking gold to make their fortune. Might Japanese youths looking to flip burgers be next?
It’s a facetious thought, but Japanese media is nonetheless all agog to learn that, thanks to new legislation, workers in fast-food restaurants in the Golden State may soon earn $22 an hour. At current yen levels, that amounts to nearly 3,300 yen — or close to four times Japan’s average minimum wage.