Private sector advisers of Japan's top economic council on Thursday called on the government to step up talks on how to ensure wages rise faster than inflation, opening the door for a shift way from a decade-long focus on deflation. The rare move by the advisers, who also called for involving outside experts in the discussions, underscores the government's struggle to achieve sustainable wage growth that outpaces price rises. "Wage growth has stayed at just under 2 per cent while prices are rising 3 per cent to 4 per cent," the four private-sector advisers at the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (CEFP) said. "A ... (full story)