Thursday, July 20, 2006

Widening income gap

A few months ago Koizumi downplayed social polarization. He said in the Diet: "Statistics haven’t confirmed that the income gap has widened"

Hopefully PM Koizumi will take a good look at the statistics the OCDE published today:
Japan ranked second worst among advanced economies in 2000 in terms of the relative poverty rate partly because non-regular workers with low wages increased amid the prolonged economic slump, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

The proportion of the population living in relative poverty, defined as less than one-half of the median household disposable income, came to 13.5 percent in 2000, the second highest among OECD members following 13.7 percent in the United States, the OECD said in a survey on the Japanese economy.


Japan ranks 2nd worst among OECD nations in relative poverty (Kyodo – 2006/7/20)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I see so many Japanese especially young ones in need of dental work. The young ladies among them make a habit of not opening their mouths normally when they speak lest they show the teeth the have come out obliquely out of their gums. Why a wealthy country such as Japan does not provide preventive or reasonably priced dental care for their citizens?

vincent said...

I have the impression it changed quite a lot in recent years. I see now often young people following an orthodontic treatment.