FEATURE: Japan's minimum wage race heats up as businesses feel the strain

AKITA, Japan - To stem the outflow of young people from regional areas amid a tight labor market, prefectures in Japan are engaged in a minimum wage race in which even one yen can make a difference.

Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan, having been in a battle for last place for several years, climbed out of the country's bottom ranking for hourly pay. But the move also sparked backlash from business leaders, resulting in the prefecture's advisory council delaying implementation of the wage hike for six months.