$20,000 annual pay: Japan's weak yen drives away Asian talent

TOKYO -- With the yen hovering around 157 against the dollar, the Japanese currency's rapid depreciation has created problems for the country beyond costly imports, including by depressing wages in dollar terms and driving away foreign talent.

At a presentation last month in Shanghai, Masato Sampei, the president of recruitment support company Asia to Japan, faced a pointed question from a student: Can you live on an annual income of 3 million yen ($19,100) in Tokyo?