Large increases announced by large companies will only benefit a small portion of workers. Rengo, the main trade union center in the country (1.4 million employees represented through 771 company unions), announced a first estimate of an increase of 5.28%.
All day long, small and big names in national capitalism competed in publicity, talking about unprecedented boosts for a quarter of a century. Champion in all categories: the steelmaker Nippon Steel, which granted a 14.2% increase to its employees - more than what they demanded.