Tokyo: Japan's inflation-adjusted wages fell for a sixth straight month in June as surging prices continued to outpace salary increases.

According to Qatar News Agency, preliminary data released by the labor ministry on Wednesday showed that real pay fell 1.3 percent compared with the same month last year. The ministry conducted a survey of about 30,000 businesses nationwide with at least five employees.

In June, workers took home an average of 511,210 yen, or just under 3,500 dollars. This figure includes base pay, overtime, and bonus payments. Despite the drop in real wages, the nominal amount is up 2.5 percent year-on-year and has been rising for 42 consecutive months.

Base wages increased by 2.1 percent, while other pay, including bonuses, rose by 3 percent. Ministry officials have noted that although base pay is steadily increasing, real wages continue to slide due to the impact of inflation.