TOKYO, July 7 (Reuters) - Japan's real wages rose 1.4% in May from a year earlier to mark a fifth month of increases, although the growth rate slowed amid re-accelerating consumer inflation, government data showed on Tuesday.
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Average nominal wages - or total cash earnings - rose 3.2% to 311,165 yen ($1,917.69), slightly slower than a revised 3.6% gain in April.
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Coupled with a faster increase in consumer inflation that began to reflect the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the real pay gain in May stood at 1.4%, decelerating from April's revised 2% rise.
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Workers' base salaries, or regular pay, climbed 3.0%, following a revised 3.3% gain in April. Overtime pay growth in May was 2.9%, down from a revised 4.8% increase in April.
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Special payments, consisting mostly of one-time bonuses that tend to be volatile outside of summer and winter months, rose 5.2% in May after a revised 10.3% increase for April.
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While Japanese companies kept up with an average annual wage hike of more than 5% for a third year, the cost of living will likely continue to creep up in the coming months, as rising import costs from a weak yen and an earlier energy cost spike will spread downstream to consumer items.
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The Bank of Japan, which last month raised interest rates to a 31-year high, has said steady wage and price increases are a prerequisite for another hike.
($1 = 162.2600 yen)
Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus
Source: Reuters