ECONOMY

Major Japanese companies have agreed to raise monthly employee pay by 8,621 yen, or 2.54 pct, on average so far during this year's "shunto" spring labor-management negotiations, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, said Wednesday. (Jiji)

Orders for Japanese machine tools hit a record high for the first time in a decade in fiscal 2017, backed by strong demand from smartphone makers and others in China, industry data showed Tuesday. (Jiji)

Japanese government officials have released their leading gauge of inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose for the 15th straight month in March. (NHK)

Japan logged a customs-cleared trade surplus of 797.3 billion yen in March, compared with 603.5 billion yen in surplus a year before, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday. (Jiji)

Japanese workers appear headed for their biggest wage increase in two decades as companies led by the logistics and retail sectors compete for a slice of the country's ever-shrinking workforce. (Nikkei)

The presence of women is increasing at the Bank of Japan after a series of measures to make it easier for employees to balance work with family life. (Jiji)

Japanese and Chinese ministers in charge of economic affairs have agreed to work together to develop infrastructure in third countries, based on an agreement reached by their leaders last year in a summit. (NHK)

Japan's population fell for the seventh straight year in 2017, with the native population dropping at a record pace, while the influx of foreign residents forestalled an even steeper decline. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government will focus on cutting social security spending with specific targets over the next three years or so, bracing for an accelerating rise in social security costs in and after fiscal 2022, when baby boomers begin to reach 75 years old, officials said Thursday. (Jiji)

An investigative panel of the Japan Pension Service held its first meeting Tuesday to review the organization's outsourcing of its work in the wake of the revelations of errors and contract violations by data input subcontractors. (Jiji)