Japan's annual spring talks between unions and management on wages and working conditions started Thursday with no tension apparent but with the spreading pay gap between major and smaller companies expected to draw attention.

Companies that have benefited from economic recovery have money enough for pay increases. But more than half of the labor unions in big companies plan to make no demand for basic wage increases this spring, union sources said.

At a labor-management forum sponsored by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) in Tokyo on Jan. 13, Kiyoshi Sasamori, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), told some 400 company executives, "The large sacrifices and contributions of employees have supported this business recovery," indicating the confederation will seek better wage deals than those of last year.