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Disenchanting Japan: Impoverished children trapped in the shell of a developed nation

By Zhou Yaxin | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-04-01 14:03
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People shop at a store in Tokyo, Japan, March 19, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]

In global public discourse, Japan is often portrayed as a country that is "highly developed," "socially stable", and "affluent in livelihoods". Yet, when we peel this glossy veneer, a set of stark figures reveals the hidden anguish of this nation — a pain seldom spoken of.

According to the 2021 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions released by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (conducted every five years), Japan's overall relative poverty rate — defined as the proportion of the population living below 50 percent of the median disposable income — stood at 15.4 percent, meaning roughly 20 million Japanese people live below the poverty line. The child poverty rate was 11.5 percent, with nearly two million children under 18 living in poverty. Even more strikingly, the poverty rate among children in single-parent households has soared to 44.5 percent, ranking eighth among the 43 members of the OECD and far exceeding the organization's average of 31.9 percent.

A heart-wrenching picture of survival

In April last year, a report about school lunches consisting of nothing more than a small piece of fried chicken, a bowl of rice, and miso soup sparked an outcry across Japanese social media. Many parents posted photos of their children's school meals, saying their kids came home complaining of hunger, with some claiming that "even prison food is better".

Children's Cafeteria is a community-led initiative in Japan to help feed undernourished children. Yet as the problem worsened, the number of such facilities exceeded 10,800 in 2024 — surpassing the number of public junior high schools nationwide (9,265). A survey by Save the Children Japan, a Japanese child support organization, found that 90 percent of low-income households surveyed were experiencing rice shortages, 60 percent were forced to cut back on staple foods, and 40 percent of children were not getting enough rice to eat. Roughly 30 percent of children fell ill frequently, and were losing weight or experiencing stunted growth.

In recent years, Japan has seen skyrocketing prices. The price of a five-kilogram bag of rice has risen from 2,000 yen to 4,800 yen (around $30), adding further hardship to the life of impoverished children.

An inescapable structural predicament

Japan's child poverty crisis is rooted in long-standing structural contradictions in the society. These problems have intertwined and formed unbreakable shackles, trapping millions of children in a vicious cycle of deprivation.

Weak macro-economy

In 2025, the Engel coefficient for Japanese households of two or more reached 2.6 percent, the highest level since 1981. Lacking natural resources, Japan relies heavily on imports. The depreciation of the yen has sharply raised import costs, driving up prices for daily necessities. Consumer prices rose by 3.7 percent in 2025, far exceeding the central bank's two percent target. Wage growth has lagged far behind inflation, leading to a continuous decline in household annual income and purchasing power. Real per capita income fell by 1.3 percent after adjusting for inflation, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline with a widening margin.

Equal work, unequal pay

Statistics show that single mothers generally earn relatively low incomes. Is this because they do not work hard? Certainly not. Japan's wage structure is often summarized as "ten for full-time male employees, eight for full-time female employees, six for non-regular male employees, and four for non-regular female employees".

This stems from Japan's neoliberal reforms in the 1990s. Aimed at stimulating the economy, the reforms divided workers into "regular employees" and "non-regular employees" with differing status, rights, and benefits. The salary of non-regular workers, now accounting for one-third of Japan's workforce, is only 60 to 70 percent of the level of regular employees.

Constrained by childcare responsibilities and other factors, most single mothers can only take non-regular jobs, leaving them with meager incomes. This employment structure has created and entrenched class and gender inequality, shutting single mothers out of higher-income brackets, and forming the economic root cause of child poverty in single-parent households.

Lack of child support

The proportion of single-parent households in Japan stands at 12.2 percent, with single-mother households making up 90 percent approximately. According to a 2021 survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, only 44.3 percent of single-mother households secured child support arrangement via court rulings or agreements, and merely 28.1 percent actually received payments.

In contrast to other developed countries, which enforce child support through strong measures such as wage garnishment, driving license suspension and even criminal penalties like imprisonment, Japan's enforcement remains at the civil level and is weak in implementation. Hence, the financial burden of childcare falls almost entirely on single mothers.

Ineffective redistribution

Japan spends roughly 15 percent of its GDP on social security for the elderly, but only one to two percent on children — one of the lowest among developed nations. Public primary and junior high schools are nominally free, but hidden education costs (meals, tutoring, extracurricular activities, among others) remain expensive, and university tuition fees are prohibitively high.

Child-rearing allowances are modest and subject to strict eligibility checks. Single parents who re-enter the workforce risk losing subsidies entirely, making them vulnerable to a poverty trap. The 2.7 percent increase in subsidies for poor children from single-parent families in 2025 lagged far behind the rise of living costs.

Additionally, as Japan's unique "shame culture" emphasizes individual responsibility, child poverty tends to be viewed as a family issue rather than a collective social responsibility. This creates a structural barrier preventing social security from playing an effective role.

The cruel reality beneath the thin veneer

Genuine development should never be measured by GDP growth alone but more by the well-being and dignity of every individual. True modernization is not just about high-rise buildings, but more importantly, the light and hope in every child's eyes.

The rights to subsistence and development are the most fundamental human rights. While Japanese representatives declare at the United Nations Human Rights Council that depriving children of their unlimited potential is absolutely impermissible, roughly two million Japanese children are trapped in the quagmire of neglected poverty.

The long-term, large-scale impoverishment of Japanese children has become one of the most severe social problems in the country. This silent crisis is not only a plight for millions of children but also a reflection of Japan's economic stagnation and rigid social structure. It shatters the rosy image of Japan as a "100 million middle-class society", offering a glimpse into the hollow reality of this developed country beneath its polished veneer. It stands as the most powerful disenchantment of Japan's self-proclaimed "civilization" and "equality".

The author is a commentator on international affairs. 

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.

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