Due to the instability of the economy, large Japanese firms have begun offering small wage increases in an attempt to “beat deflation.” In the face of economic uncertainty, firms prefer to offer small wage increases in order to avoid committing to paying increased wages long-term. The spring labor offensive set expectations regarding wage increases intended to increase consumer spending and diminish the negative impact of inflation.
See "Big Japanese firms offer smaller wage hikes as economy wobbles", The Japan Times, March 13, 2019