Japan's inflation-adjusted wages fell in January for the first time in three months, as price rises outpaced the increase in salaries.



The labor ministry's preliminary data show that real pay fell 1.8 percent from a year earlier. Officials partly attribute the decline to fewer companies paying winter bonuses compared to December.



The ministry surveys about 30,000 businesses nationwide with at least five employees.



Workers in January earned an average of 295,505 yen, or about 2,000 dollars, including base pay and overtime.



That's up 2.8 percent year-on-year, extending the run of gains to 37 consecutive months. Base wages rose 3.1 percent, marking the biggest increase in 32 years and three months.