STORY: There might just be some hope for Japan's underpaid workers - though figures out Monday painted a complicated picture.
Real wages - that's adjusted for inflation - fell for a record 26th month in May.
However, average base pay actually rose at its fastest pace in 31 years.
Economists say that's a sign that big pay hikes agreed by companies in annual labor negotiations are filtering through to workers.
Base pay jumped an average 2.5% on the year - the biggest number since early 1993, around the time Japan's bubble economy burst.
One economist told Reuters that the figure for real wages should also soon start rising.
Factors driving the upturn include worsening labor shortages.
That has seen wage hikes at all but the smallest firms outpacing inflation for the first time in 26 months.
The Bank of Japan will be studying the numbers very carefully.
Governor Kazuo Ueda has said he wants to see evidence that pay hikes are boosting inflation before he raises rates again.
Reuters sources say a report from the bank later this month will say that pay increases are spreading - suggesting another move on rates could be approaching.
