Japan Press Weekly

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2012 July 4 - 10 [WELFARE]

60% find difficulty in making ends meet

A record high of 61.5% of respondents feel it is hard to make ends meet, according to the 2011 National Livelihood Survey released on July 5.

According to the survey conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the average household income in 2010 was 5.38 million yen, down by 116,000 yen from the previous year.

The average income was the lowest in the past 10 years and about the same level as 25 years ago. It was cut by 1,262,000 yen from 1994, which marked the highest average income of 6,642,000 yen.

The average income of households with children under 18 years old was 6,581,000 yen, down by 392,000 yen from the previous year.

The survey was conducted in June and July 2011 and excluded Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures due to the 3.11 disaster damage.