Japan's largest trade union, Rengo, said workers at major firms will see a 5.28% average pay increase in fiscal 2024, the sharpest rise in over 30 years. Companies like Toyota have agreed to some of the largest annual pay hikes decades after wage talks. Strong wage growth results indicate the BOJ ending its negative rate policy sooner. Past wage stagnation in Japan has been blamed for deflation, which the BOJ aims to counter with monetary easing.