FOCUS: PM Ishiba's drastic wage hike push may hurt small firms in Japan

Takayuki Okuyama, president of a plastic parts company with nine employees, questions whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's pledge to significantly raise Japan's national average wage is the right move, as he believes such a goal would squeeze small businesses like his.Okuyama, 48, leads Nissindenki Co. in Tokyo's Ota Ward -- home to more than 3,000 small-sized manufacturers -- and has raised his workers' salaries nearly 3 percent each spring. In contrast, major companies recently implemented salary increases of more than 5 percent, their highest in over three decades."As I'm responsible …READ FULL ARTICLE