Wages for Japanese workers in their 40s and 50s rose slightly in the second quarter.
It is a much needed increase for a cohort known as the "lost generation" — those who entered the workforce during the hiring ice age of the 1990s and 2000s and have been struggling with pay stagnation ever since.
The increase is also vitally important to the overall economy, as consumption by people in these age brackets is an important engine of economic growth and a key to recovery.