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‘Very worrying’: record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, survey shows
Economy, rising prices, uncertain job prospects and the state of the world among reasons for concern, as more feel standard of living declining
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Julian Ryall
Published: 9:30am, 25 Dec 2024
A record high 78.2 per cent of Japanese people are anxious about their lives, according to a government survey, with the economy, rising prices, uncertain job prospects and the state of the world cited as reasons for their disquiet.
The percentage of Japanese expressing concern about their day-to-day lives is the highest since the Cabinet Office started conducting the annual survey in 1981 and up from 75.9 per cent last year, while the survey also revealed that a growing number feel their standard of living is declining.
Nearly 64 per cent of the 1,831 people who responded to the survey said they were worried about their health, with 62.8 per cent saying they were fearful about how they would manage after retirement. The study, released on Friday, also showed that 58 per cent were concerned about their future income and savings.
Some 64.5 per cent said they were unhappy with their incomes, down 3.5 percentage points from last year, with just 34.9 per cent happy with how much they were earning, although that figure was a 3.5 percentage point improvement on the December 2023 survey.
Asked where they estimate they are on a standard of living scale, 1.7 per cent said they were in the top echelon of Japanese society, the same as last year, while 14.2 per cent said they were in the top of the middle class, down from 14.7 per cent one year ago.
Some 46.3 per cent said they were in the middle of the middle class, down from 46.7 per cent last year, while 28.1 per cent said they were in the lower middle class, a decline from 25.5 per cent. Those identifying as being in the lowest class of Japanese society went from 8.1 per cent last year to 8.7 per cent in the most recent study.
Shoppers browse vegetables at a supermarket in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE
“Things seem to have changed a lot in the last few years, starting with the pandemic, and I do not see them getting better,” said Tomoko Oono, a retired bank worker from Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.
“Prices have definitely gone up in the shops and for things like fuel for the car and electricity and gas at home,” she told This Week in Asia. “For people on pensions and with limited savings, it is very worrying.”
Ken Kato, a small business owner from Tokyo, said his wife also regularly expressed shock at rising prices.
“Every time she comes back from the supermarket, she says she can’t believe how much more expensive everything is,” he said.
“And then a few weeks ago it was impossible to buy rice because all the shelves are empty. That Japan does not even have enough rice for people is very, very worrying.”
Experts have attributed this year’s shortages to high temperatures in the early part of the growing season that affected the crop, large numbers of foreign tourists consuming rice-based dishes and panic buying after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake off southern Japan sparked worry that a much-feared powerful tremor in the Nankai Trough was imminent.
Kato’s other major concern is the worsening geopolitical situation in the world, from Ukraine to Gaza, the Korean peninsula and questions over the commitment of the incoming administration of Donald Trump in Washington.
“The situation makes me very nervous for the whole country,” he admitted. “I worry about China’s plans, what North Korea might do with its long-range missiles and how the alliance with Russia might affect us. These are things that affect everyone in Japan, and I’m worried for my children.”
Social media users say prices are likely to continue rising in 2025, made worse by tax increases and the weak yen making a whole raft of imported goods even more expensive. Photo: AFP
Many messages on social media pointed blamed politicians and immigrants for the country’s worrying woes.
“Since the Liberal Democratic Party came to power, real wages have worsened and Japan’s international competitiveness has declined significantly,” read one comment on a Jiji Press news story about the survey.
“Furthermore, the weak yen and the recession have caused prices to rise, making the people’s lives harder than ever. Yet the LDP, the enemy of the people, is desperate to secure donations from corporations and organisations.”
Many users said they anticipated that prices would continue to rise in 2025, made worse by tax increases and the weak yen making a whole raft of imported goods even more expensive.
One commenter wrote the weak yen would lead more non-Japanese to settle in the country and cause an increase in crime “among poor Japanese people in addition to foreigners”.
“It seems that a turning point has been reached and the times have completely changed,” the user added.
One particularly grim comment expressed outright defeat.
“I’ve overcome the anxiety and have given up,” it said. “I’ve just decided that whatever happens, happens. My body is completely worn out and every day is just hard work and there’s nothing fun to do. I have nothing left to do in life and I have no regrets. I don’t care when my time comes. As long as I don’t have to suffer any more. I’ve thrown my life away. If I’m that resigned, there’s nothing to be scared of in this day and age.”
