Voters in Abe’s Heartland Fear His Win Will Mean More Pain
- Fukui’s economic growth, tight labor market bely wage concerns
- Workers fear another sales tax hike as wages remain stagnant
A female worker makes eyeglasses temples at Nagai Co. factory in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture. Photographer: Shiho Fukada/Bloomberg
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Chiyoko Yamamoto works in one of the best regions in Japan -- a place with one of the lowest rates of unemployment, a growing economy and the highest level of female employment in the country.
Indeed, Fukui, about 300 kilometers (200 miles) west of Tokyo on the Sea of Japan, should be a poster child for Abenomics, the economic model of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called a snap general election on Oct. 22.