REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoTOKYO, March 17 (Reuters) - Japan's major companies have concluded their annual labour talks with average wage hikes of 3.8% for the coming fiscal year, the largest raise in about three decades, trade union confederation Rengo said on Friday.
The preliminary survey of 805 unions affiliated with Rengo showed the average hike rate of 11,844 yen ($89) per month, according to the labour organisation.
"Many unions received in full or exceeded their demand for wage hikes," Rengo chief Tomoko Yoshino told a news conference.
Those businesses have often struggled to pass on rising costs to their customers.
It's unclear whether the rising wage trend will be sustainable, let alone create the "virtuous cycle" of stronger economic growth and 2% inflation long sought by Japan's central bank.