A Japanese government panel on Wednesday agreed to hike the country's minimum wage by 50 yen (32 cents), the sharpest rise ever that will bring the average hourly pay to a record 1,054 yen from 1,004 yen, as many workers feel the pinch of soaring prices, sources familiar with the matter said.The move follows historic pay rises by private companies in this year's spring wage talks. According to a survey by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, the country's biggest labor union, businesses agreed on an average 5.10 percent rise, the first time in 33 years that the hike exceeded 5 percent.Co…READ FULL ARTICLE
