 Starving in Japan |
“A once-wealthy country’s safety net crumbles
Japan may be one of the largest economies in the world but it is quickly becoming a country divided into rich and poor. Police believe three people found in their Saitama apartment, yesterday, died of starvation- a sad fate that highlights the worsening state of Japan’s economy.
Extreme poverty and starvation is becoming a frighteningly common occurrence in Japan despite the perception of a tidy country that takes care of its own elderly. In the past 10 years, more than 700 people have died from starvation, many of them elderly and disconnected from their families. In July, the Welfare Ministry released figures showing that the country’s poverty rate had hit a record high of 16 percent in 2009, up 0.3 percent from 2006.
The Foreign Policy Association reported that national disposable income in 2009 was 2.24 million yen ($28,000), meaning 16 percent of the Japanese population earned less than 1.12 million yen ($14,000) a year. Purchasing power in Japan is 25.43 percent lower than in the US, so in relative dollars, the relative poverty level is $10,493.80, the FPA reported. The government estimates that over 1.5 million people are living below the poverty line, however this number is expected to have increased since the Great East Japan Earthquake, last year.”
Buffalohair @Buffalohair Canada,United States Journalist/Film Maker dedicated to covering news from the voiceless people of the World. Sardonically Entertaining when I discover Stupid News. http://bgi.buffalohair-jage.com/
Starvation Deaths Shock Japan http://t.co/OsMZgyeX
eye opening, Ann. I just had an old friend marry a Japanese girl he met, while he was working at Chena Resort in Alaska. They got married and just moved to Japan… I hope he knows what he is getting into there..They did say they were going to move back here if it didn’t work out, so we will see. how could they not have financial problems after the tsunami! xxx