Japan planning to meet with business, union leaders next week -govt spokesperson

TOKYO (Reuters) – The Japanese government is preparing to hold a meeting with business and labour union executives next Wednesday as part of a campaign to encourage wage hikes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday.

It would be the first such meeting to be held in about eight years, public broadcaster NHK reported late on Tuesday.

Big Japanese firms are likely to offer pay rises of 2.85% on average for the financial year starting in April, the biggest pay hikes in 26 years, according to a research firm forecast.

(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Tom Hogue)

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