2007 average household income at 19-year low of Y5.5 million: report

Thursday 21st May, 11:58 PM JST

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15 Comments

WMD at 07:29 AM JST - 22nd May

5.5 million? I guess the poor old english "teacher" would die for such a salary! But 5.5 million is very low, no wonder the economy is in such s***
Scrote at 09:04 AM JST - 22nd May

What about the number of people in the average household, hasn't that gone down too?
Altria at 09:30 AM JST - 22nd May

Does that include all the old people who live on pensions?
skipthesong at 10:28 AM JST - 22nd May

How can you live in Japan on that little? And with a family to boot?

I wouldn't stay in Japan if I could only make that little.
pointofview at 10:55 AM JST - 22nd May

But the rich have seen theirs increase.
Himajin at 11:00 AM JST - 22nd May

You make it sound like anyone with money has stolen it from someone else.
umbrella at 01:58 PM JST - 22nd May

Yes 5.5 million is a shockingly low income indeed. I know that many foreigners who come to japan are not concerned with money in the slightest and will take low paying jobs willingly. But japanese households, how do they manage on this income?
bakabaka at 03:01 PM JST - 22nd May

Of the major industrial countries, only the U.S. has a higher disparity between rich and poor than Japan. My wife and I live on 2 million yen a year.... but then we dont live in a big city...
Brunobear at 08:17 PM JST - 22nd May

It would be interesting to see what people pay for goods and services in Japan so those of us from outside Japan could get a better understanding. Average household income: is that husband and wife or them plus the grandparents and the working kids? How much does a Mc Donald's Big Mack meal cost in Tokyo? So many questions! Interesting to see it has dropped back to 1988 levels.
franz75 at 08:28 PM JST - 22nd May

5,562,000???? I'm a working poor then...

A vast majority of temporary or regular workers I know earn less than that.
pointofview at 09:48 PM JST - 22nd May

At least a million to a million and a half of this cash is probably bonus (if it`s included in the average) money, something that very few foreign workers receive.
sydenham at 09:34 AM JST - 26th May

Deflation has taken the sting out of it. Along with the extra competition from imports. And for those knee-jerks ready to say "what imports?" compared to 1994, Japan in 2009 is totally different.
Yelnats at 01:45 PM JST - 28th May

I make double that and feel like I am poor, especially after I found out what my projected pension will be. You will like this. ¥1,240,000 a year. Mortgage is killing me, and forced retirement at age 65 is blatantly stupid. Time to play the horses and hope for the big one.
cleo at 02:30 PM JST - 28th May

How can you live in Japan on that little? And with a family to boot?

I understand that some people find booting a member of the family is a good way to release the stresses of financial hardship. :-)