Ishiba Calls for Continued Pay Hikes

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for continued wage increases at a general meeting of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, in Tokyo on Tuesday. “Wage hikes must be realized regardless of who is in power and what kind of administration takes office,” Ishiba said at the meeting. This is the second consecutive time that the prime minister has attended a general meeting of the umbrella organization for labor unions in the country, following the 2023 gathering joined by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Rengo supports the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, another opposition party. Referring to the launch of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s new leadership team following the LDP’s presidential election Saturday to select Ishiba’s successor, CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda said at Tuesday’s Rengo meeting that it is his party’s role to confront and check the LDP. Regarding speculation that the DPFP may join the ruling bloc of the LDP and Komeito, DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki said at the same meeting that his party has no interest in any cabinet posts, emphasizing that his party will consider policies, political situations and elections with a focus on how to increase wages and take-home pay. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]