Japanese wages fell 4.8 percent in July, according to newly released figures from Japan’s Labor Ministry. Special payments such as bonuses fell 11 percent from a year earlier, and total cash earnings stood at 365,922 yen, marking the 14th straight month of declines. Overtime pay fell by 16.5 percent, while cash earning plunged by a record 7.0 percent in June, from a year earlier. According to Bloomberg.com, the newly elected Democratic Party of Japan has promised to support households by pledging to increase the minimum wage.