November 29, 2012
The government’s data suggests that in the last 12 years, household incomes have decreased, leading to destruction of decent livelihoods, while multinational companies have amassed their internal reserves.
From 2000 to 2011, average monthly after-tax income of workers’ households dropped by nearly 54,000 yen. This is likely due to cuts in their earning while their tax payments and social insurance premiums increased.
Households who do not have savings sharply rose from 12.4% in 2000 to 28.6% in 2011.
The ratio of non-regular employees to all workers increased to 35.1% in 2011 from 26% in 2000.
Under this situation, the number of those who have fallen from the social safety net is increasing. The government’s white paper on economy and finance in FY 2012 points out that those who tend to be “easily excluded from the society” are low-income elderly households without jobs and young mother-child households, whose average income is about half of that of all households.
While the average amount spent for food is 44,000 yen a month for households overall, it drops to 33,000 yen for low-income elderly households without jobs and 22,000 yen for young mother-child households.
Meanwhile, major corporations have increased their profits outside Japan.
According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, internal reserves amassed by overseas subsidies of Japanese multinational companies rapidly increased from 6.41 trillion yen in FY 2003 to 20.68 trillion yen in FY 2010. While hollowing out domestic industries, those major companies have increased overseas production and their internal reserves as well.
From 2000 to 2011, average monthly after-tax income of workers’ households dropped by nearly 54,000 yen. This is likely due to cuts in their earning while their tax payments and social insurance premiums increased.
Households who do not have savings sharply rose from 12.4% in 2000 to 28.6% in 2011.
The ratio of non-regular employees to all workers increased to 35.1% in 2011 from 26% in 2000.
Under this situation, the number of those who have fallen from the social safety net is increasing. The government’s white paper on economy and finance in FY 2012 points out that those who tend to be “easily excluded from the society” are low-income elderly households without jobs and young mother-child households, whose average income is about half of that of all households.
While the average amount spent for food is 44,000 yen a month for households overall, it drops to 33,000 yen for low-income elderly households without jobs and 22,000 yen for young mother-child households.
Meanwhile, major corporations have increased their profits outside Japan.
According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, internal reserves amassed by overseas subsidies of Japanese multinational companies rapidly increased from 6.41 trillion yen in FY 2003 to 20.68 trillion yen in FY 2010. While hollowing out domestic industries, those major companies have increased overseas production and their internal reserves as well.
