Japan corporate pretax profits hit record for July-September

I guess BOJ chief Kuroda was correct that the low yen would push profits higher. Now, the employers need give substaniative wage hikes. If they refuse, the govt should hike the corporate tax and reduce the consumption tax.

So... all that price inflation wasnt necessary and they could have made normal profits by leaving prices as they were?...

Japan corporate pretax profits hit record for July-September

But subsidies directly to corporations are still the LDP program and any wage hikes will be "difficult".

So why can’t they pay us more?

So why can’t they pay us more?

They "can" but they "won't." For that, we can thank the "market reforms" of a few years' back. Wage suppression is a key policy of the brand of neo-liberalism that Koizumi, Abe and other "reformers" vowed to nurture in Japan.

I warned at the time that was a bad idea and was branded an outlier.

I warned at the time that was a bad idea and was branded an outlier.

Rightly so, as you are just a rando on the JT comments section, unless you were present in the room where you imagine these discussions about “wage suppression under neoliberal reforms” took place.

Companies that see it as being in their best interest to hike wages, should so so.

Companies that do not, should not.

Government should make for conditions for a vibrant competitive free market economy.

@fxgai 

as you are just a rando on the JT comments section,

No I'm not. I earn my full-time living by writing, editing and translating financial/economic news and corporate reports.

Government should make for conditions for a vibrant competitive free market economy.

Yet everything in Japan is run by cartels

@Chabbawanga  

So... all that price inflation wasnt necessary and theycould have made normal profits by leaving prices as they were?...

Exactly. And by the way they are now talking about a big hike of prices of thousands of products next February and justify it by the weak JPY. But in reality, it got stronger recently (+ 12 % from its bottom at 152 and current rate of 135). So, prices should not be increased. It means that companies are increasing their margin. Buy stocks!