Japan’s workers get rare pay bump after decades without a raise

Japanese workers' wages have barely risen over the last three decades [File: Eugene Hoshiko/AP]

Tokyo, Japan – Mr Toyozawa, an advertising sales representative in Tokyo, is not much better off today than when he started working at his company in 2001.

For years, Toyozawa’s salary rose in annual increments of 1 percent and, like many Japanese salarymen at or approaching retirement age, his earnings have gone into reverse since he turned 55 two years ago.