Japan's real wages in March fall 2.1 per cent from a year earlier

Japan's real wages in March fell 2.1 per cent from a year earlier, marking the third consecutive monthly decline, government data showed on Friday.

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Kyodo News quoted the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as saying that nominal wages, or the average total monthly cash earnings per worker including base and overtime pay, increased 2.1 per cent to 308,572 yen ($2,100), rising for the 39th straight month.

Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a more than one-month high on Friday, as risk appetite was lifted after a US trade agreement with Britain raised optimism for progress in talks with other countries.

The Nikkei rose 1.56 per cent to 37,503.33, its highest closing level since March 27. In a holiday-shortened week, the index rose 1.83 per cent and posted a fourth straight week of gains.

The broader Topix rose 1.29 per cent to 2,733.49, posting an 11-session rally - its longest since October 2017.

"Investors see that the market slump in April was the worst, and the environment not just for equities but for bonds is only getting better as more compromises on trade talks could be possible," said Hiroyuki Ueno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced a limited bilateral trade agreement that leaves in place Trump's IO per cent tariffs on British exports.

Financial markets are now awaiting the outcome of preliminary US-China trade talks due to begin on Saturday in Switzerland.