Millions of Japanese trapped in 'hidden poverty'

[Axandra]

I've recently stumbled upon this AFP article by Patrice Novotny, and thought of posting the link in the Japan Discussion section of the forum.

With nice snippets like "Nearly one in six Japanese lives below the poverty line", and "Temporary and part-time jobs and short-term contracts have become the norm for half of all employees under 39 years of age" I think it would make at least a good read for many of this forum's visitors.

However, what I'd really like to know is if your view of the subject or, preferably, your personal experience resonates with the info and message of the article: Is the image of the robust and healthy Japan just a shimmering hologram?

 

[aquamarine]

Shimmering hologram.

I personally know an M.I.T. graduate who works at the local Pizza Hut as a delivery driver.

 

[guy]

A whole bunch of western-written articles about Japan seem to be quite shortsighted these days.

Currently the hot topic is how China has recently surpassed Japan as the world's 2nd largest economy (speculated, not confirmed).

One commentator (WSJ) described it as a method of "Shock Therapy" for Japan -- a way for Japan to wake up and realize how it's losing its position in the world economy.

Another commentator (NYT) described the situation as "The Ancient Art of Shrugging", saying that Japanese youth (what people normally identify as a central player in the economy) simply don't spend money like their 80's-90's bubble parents did.

Neither article is outright wrong, but they oversimply a lot of the details. I'm sure the AFP article has got its facts straight (insomuch as they can be verified), but there may be small details that the author has glossed over that would change the implications of the article.



Novotny isn't wrong in that there are no people below the poverty line -- there are, and the idea of money flowing out of everyone's pockets died with the bubble. But when he says:

there is ... widespread "hidden poverty", where people may, for example, skip a meal just to save money.

I'm a bit skeptical. After all, people do that even in first-world countries like America, and yet we don't typically associate it with the idea of "poverty" (for which the overwhelming image is that of third-world countries).

The idea of "hidden poverty" is interesting, but unless there is a way to measure it, and to compare the method of measuring it (say, to how we measure "regular" poverty elsewhere), it's all just rhetoric.



As you read more and more articles from western writers (from the WSJ, NYT, Economist, etc), you will see a tendency to treat these issues as somehow "only in Japan" -- and that is always a tell-tale sign that the author hasn't done their research but thinks they already know enough about Japan in order to make generalizations.

 

[Axandra]

The idea of "hidden poverty" is interesting, but unless there is a way to measure it, and to compare the method of measuring it (say, to how we measure "regular" poverty elsewhere), it's all just rhetoric.

Good point, yet...

I don't think it's just rhetoric, I'd rather take it as a slightly (and involuntarily) deceptive use of terms. But then we're talking journalism...

So, TFA defines the word "poverty" as used in the respective context as someone earning "less than half the median household income, or less than 1,830 dollars for a four-person family". Although not clearly stated, this falls within the accepted definition of relative poverty, significally different from the absolute poverty, and I believe that the following Wikipedia quote relative to the subject in discussion is worth mentioning:

"Relative poverty measures are used as official poverty rates in several developed countries. As such these poverty statistics measure inequality rather than material deprivation or hardship. The measurements are usually based on a person's yearly income and frequently take no account of total wealth."

Of course there are poor people everywhere in this world, but the question remains: is Japan truly poorer that it lets others to believe?

 

[roundeyedevil]

HIDDEN poverty? what about the VISUAL poverty?
I'm currently staying in a low rent area of tokyo, and the amount of people, especially elderly japanese men, who sleep on the streets nightly here is frightning!
I'm not talking about the drunken wage-slave who passes out after a few, and cant make it to a capsule hotel, but GUENUINE homeless and destitute.:scared: