Tuesday February 07, 2006 
Tuesday February 07, 2006
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called on Japan to stop dividing itself into "winners" and "losers" as a new poll showed that the number of Japanese who consider themselves middle-class has plunged - denouncing the terms that have grown into the Japanese lexicon since the economy crashed in the early 1990s.
Official figures showed last week that there was a job available for every Japanese who wanted one for the first time in 13 years. But critics charge that the gap between rich and poor has widened under Koizumi, with part-time and temporary jobs sharply rising - far from the post-World War II "Japanese dream" of lifelong employment at a company.
A survey by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun found that 54% of Japanese believe they belong to the middle-class, down from from 75% in 1987 when Japan was in a speculative "bubble" economic boom. In contrast, the ratio of people who believe they are in the lower class rose to 37% from 20%, the leading business daily said.
The growing economic gap in Japanese society under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform policy is emerging as a major national political issue. Critics in the opposition camp as well as the ruling coalition charge that deregulation and intensified competition have divided society into winners and losers in terms of income and employment. If the problem is left unsolved, prospects will worsen for an economy already beset by falling birthrates and a rapidly aging population.
With Koizumi scheduled to step down as Liberal Democratic Party president (and hence as prime minister) in September, candidates for his job will need to address the issue of the widening social divide. The number of households on welfare in the past four years has increased 30% to top 1 million. Koizumi's structural reforms were aimed at revitalizing the Japanese economy. Yet excessive competition has led to the failures of unprofitable companies, an increase in the number of unemployed and underemployed through corporate restructuring, and social problems such as more suicides and crime. The dark side of reform can no longer be ignored.
See also :
1. The Collapse of the Middle Class
2. An Argentine Story
3. Today : Migrating Singaporeans story arc
(2006-02-07 23:29:51 SGT)
[Biz]
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