TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese real wages turned positive for the first time in seven months on the back of hefty summertime bonuses, but elevated inflation added to pressure on consumption, data showed on Friday.

Inflation-adjusted real wages, a key determinant of households’ purchasing power, edged up 0.5% in July from a year earlier, the first increase since December last year when they inched up by 0.3%. Special payments, including the bonuses, jumped 7.9%, labour ministry data showed.

“The significant contribution to real wage growth comes from factors such as bonus increases and the steady rise in regular wages,” a labour ministry official said.

The consumer inflation rate the ministry uses to calculate real wages, which includes fresh food prices but not rent costs, rose 3.6% year-on-

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