Young Japanese Immigrate for Better Pay

Japan’s young workers go abroad as huge wage gap persists.

With inflation now at its highest level in decades, Japanese are beginning to realize that years of stagnant wages are forcing many of them to budget every month until their next paycheck arrives.

Tomoki Yoshihara starts his shift at a meat processing plant in rural Australia at 5 a.m. and earns three times more for cutting lamb for nearly 50 hours a week than he did as a Japanese military serviceman.

He is among a record number of young Japanese who received work visas to Australia in the past financial year, lured by higher wages made even more attractive by a weaker yen.

“In terms of wages, it’s much better here,” said the 25-year-old, who earns about A$5,000 (US$3,300) a month after tax and lives in Goulburn, south of Sydney. “If you want to save money. “Australia is the place to be.”