Japanese gloomy over economy
Nearly 70% of Japanese worry about their livelihood and many feel their lives are worse than they were a year ago as the nation’s economic difficulties drag on.
According to a survey of 730 people by the Cabinet Office, 67.2% said they felt anxious about their livelihoods, up 3.9% points from last year and the highest since the survey began in 1958, according to a Japanese daily on Sunday.
Only 31.5% said they had no worries.
Japan’s economy has shown signs of recovery recently, but the sense of this has not spread to ordinary customers, many of whom remain pessimistic.
The greatest concern was how people would support themselves in their old age, with 50% saying they were worried-a reflection of Japan’s rapidly aging society and rising concerns about the public pension system.
Some 41.7% said they were worried about their incomes and assets in the future.
By generation, the most worried were those in their 40s and 50s, the age group most vulnerable to the waves of restructuring Japanese companies, with 70% admitting to anxiety.