Ishiba Vows Wage Hikes Keeping Up with Inflation at May Day Event

Tokyo, April 26 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday vowed to realize wage hikes that keep up with the soaring cost of living, at his first May Day event attended since taking office last autumn.

"We'll definitely realize wage hikes that would not succumb to rising prices," Ishiba said at the May Day central convention in Tokyo hosted by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo.

It was the third year in a row for a Japanese prime minister to be present at Rengo's May Day event, after then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese leader to attend such an event in nine years in 2023.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is headed by Ishiba, has become closer to Rengo recently. The first policy discussion between the prime minister and the chief of Rengo, the umbrella organization for Japanese labor unions, in 16 years was held earlier this month, while Tomoko Yoshino became the first Rengo president in 20 years to attend an LDP convention last month.

Noting that the wage hike levels agreed during this spring's "shunto" labor-management negotiations appear to be exceeding those of last year, Ishiba at the May Day event said, "We hope to spread this momentum (of higher wages) to smaller companies, regional areas and nonregular employment."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]