People call for minimum wage hike in Tokyo demonstration

A demonstration calling for Japan’s minimum wage to be raised to 1,500 yen per hour was held in Tokyo on Dec. 13, with about 500 people taking part, organizers said.  The demonstration was planned by the group Aequitas (meaning “fairness” in Latin). Its members include university students and workers in their 20s and 30s who are not in regular employment. Members of the group argue that the 1,000 yen minimum wage proposed by the government is not sufficient to relieve day-to-day hardship. Participants in the demonstration set out from Kashiwagi Park in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, and spent about 90 minutes marching to an area near JR Shinjuku Station, chanting such slogans as “Raise the minimum wage now!” and “Divert tax funds to small and medium companies.” Aequitas earlier held a demonstration in the Tokyo metropolitan area on Oct. 17 calling for a major increase in the minimum wage, with about...