Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda urged companies Thursday to raise wages in a rare move by a government leader amid intensifying annual labor-management wage talks.
“I think now is the time when the fruits of reform should be passed on to the people and household budgets,” Fukuda said in a weekly e-mail magazine released Thursday.
Fukuda, who is facing sagging support rates, is apparently seeking to soothe public disgruntlement over hikes in crude oil and materials prices that are putting pressure on household budgets.
Noting that the economy has undergone a recovery in recent years, with major companies making record profits, Fukuda said, “These are the achievements of various structural reforms and the result of efforts by all of you people who struggled with and endured the pain of the reforms.”
Fukuda stressed that pay hikes “will lead to much bigger profits for companies as the economy will expand as a whole if consumption increases through higher wages.”
Companies and household budgets are closely connected, he said.
Fukuda told reporters in late January that improvements in labor conditions are a “plus factor” for household budgets and the nation’s economic situation.
Fukuda stressed that pay hikes “will lead to much bigger profits for companies as the economy will expand as a whole if consumption increases through higher wages.”Companies and household budgets are closely connected, he said.
Fukuda told reporters in late January that improvements in labor conditions are a “plus factor” for household budgets and the nation’s economic situation.
