Japanese Govt, Biz, Labor Leaders to Meet March 15

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans to hold a meeting March 15 of representatives from the government, labor and business communities with the aim of realizing wages increases faster than inflation mainly through this year's "shunto" spring wage talks, informed sources said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is pursuing "structural wage hikes," is expected to show at the meeting his resolve to make utmost efforts to increase wages ahead of unified local elections in April.

"It's important to communicate with business and labor communities as we promote wage increases," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference Wednesday.

"The best cure for the current inflation is to achieve continuous wage increases that will not be lost amid rising prices" against the backdrop of the prolonged invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesman, added.

The meeting would be the first of its kind since April 2015.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]