PRICE HIKES SPUR STRIKE ACTION IN JAPAN
. Japan’ s. ‘unions. are: ‘@irding ‘for a big round of strikes. New gains: are’ sought in the standard of living for the workers but the main grievance is losses sustained in. 1965 due. to the stiff rise in prices: of. basic commodities.
‘Inflation continued in Japan last year despite a recession. Government statistics show that consumer prices rose 7.6 per cent in 1965 while disposable income of wage earners in cities larger than 50,000 in population declined by 0.3 per cent.
Thus the unions, advancing the demand of "Seikatsu Boei," protection.of livelihood, are demanding an increase of seven to eight thousand.-yen a-.month [362 yen = $1].
This would amount to a 12 per cent increase -- 8 per cent to offset higher prices and 4 per cent as a real gain.
Employers. are sticking tough under the slogan of "Kigvo Boei," protection of enterprises, although the slogan is quite hypocritical in the case of the big corporations, which boast lucrative profit records despite the recession.
The rise in the cost of living has been so sharp that housewives are now becoming even more concerned about price tags than about the escalating war in Vietnam. During 1965 the U.S. aggression in Vietnam caused great worry among the Japanese masses, provoking huge demonstrations again and again.
Prices of vegetables have been changing daily and in grocery stores housewives find goods marked up as much as ten to fifteen yen each time they go shopping.
Sukiyaki, which requires a good quality meat, has become a luxury for ordinary Japanese families, and even fish is becoming out of reach.