Labor unions at large companies, debilitated by falling membership and record unemployment, have given up all hope of obtaining wage increases for their members this year.
The proportion of organized labor to the workforce as a whole is 19.6 percent, the lowest level since World War II. Some unions for workers in small and midsize enterprises have even accepted management demands to cut monthly salaries.
The annual "shunto" spring wage negotiations appear to be losing their importance, and may already be obsolete.