Japan's real wages down 2.5 pct in July

TOKYO (Xinhua) -- Japan's inflation-adjusted real wage index in July fell 2.5 percent from a year earlier, marking the 16th straight month of decline, as nominal wages continued to underperform price hikes, government data showed Friday.    
 Nominal wages, the average total cash earnings per worker including base and overtime pay, rose by 1.3 percent to 380,656 yen (about 2,586 U.S. dollars) per worker, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.    
 Regular pay including basic salary went up 1.6 percent, and overtime and other non-regular pay increased 0.5 percent, while special pay including bonuses climbed 0.6 percent.    
 The consumer price index (CPI) excluding imputed rent, used to calculate the real wage index, grew by a larger 3.9 percent, reflecting higher prices for food including eggs and domestic pork, and for accommodation services and other things.    
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