(Mainichi: February 7, 2015 – p. 4)

 The Mainichi released on Feb. 6 the results of a survey on the business performance of 122 major corporations. Out of the 26 corporations, 21% said they are “considering wage hikes” for FY2015. This represents a substantial increase compared to the previous survey conducted in January 2014 (12% for 15 companies). Many corporations expressed optimistic outlooks about the domestic economy and their own performance, which might have led to more companies’ willingness to consider wage hikes, the key to achieving a “virtuous economic cycle.”

 The survey was conducted from the middle to the end of January. Of the corporations considering pay hikes, 12 said that they plan “to raise base salaries,” which is six times more than the previous year (2 companies). Ten companies replied that “raising base salaries is an option.” The reason those companies are considering increasing wages is “to reward the employees for the company’s good performance.” (Sekisui House) In addition, some companies want to “contribute to the virtuous economic cycle” (Taisei Corporation) and support the government’s goal of “ending deflation.” (Abridged)