TOKYO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's real wages declined for the eighth consecutive month in August, as rising consumer prices continued to outstrip nominal wage gains, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Wednesday.

The ministry's monthly survey showed that average cash earnings per worker, including base pay and overtime, rose 1.5 percent from a year earlier to 300,517 yen (about 1,967 U.S. dollars), marking the 44th straight month of nominal growth.

Base pay and other scheduled wages climbed 2.1 percent to 268,202 yen, posting gains for the 46th consecutive month.

However, after adjusting for inflation, real wages fell 1.4 percent year-on-year, indicating that wage growth is not keeping up with rising prices.

Although the initial report for July had shown a slight increase, the final figure was later revised to a 0.2-percent decline, extending the losing streak to eight months, the data showed. ■