Japanese retail giant Aeon plans to raise wages for part-time and other non-regular workers. It's the latest firm in the country to implement pay hikes amid rapid increases in living costs.

Aeon says it will raise wages by an average seven percent for hourly workers at its 147 subsidiaries, including supermarket and convenience store operators. The company will negotiate the specific rates with unions and implement them as early as March.

Aeon says higher wages will help stabilize their workers' livelihoods during economic uncertainty. It also hopes the measure will help attract more employees at a time when the labor force is shrinking due to the country's aging population.

The company says it is now considering raising wages for full-time workers as well.

Aeon employs about 400,000 non-regular workers, among the most in Japan. Experts say wage hikes by a company of this stature could influence other major firms to do the same.