Daily Food Spending below 500 Yen among Needy People in Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)--Needy households in Japan live on an average food expenditure of less than 500 yen per person a day amid lingering inflation, according to a survey by Save the Children Japan, a nongovernmental organization.

The survey, conducted in June, covered 8,736 parents nationwide who applied for food assistance from the organization. All of them provided valid responses online or by telephone.

Of the respondents, 94.5 pct were single parents. Over 60 pct were in the red, with 26.2 pct saying that they were living with debt and 36.9 pct indicating that they were living off their savings.

Among two-person households, the average food spending per person fell to 490 yen from 533 yen in a similar survey conducted last year. The average among six-member households slumped to 361 yen.

About 85.5 pct reported that they had been unable to buy the groceries their families needed during the past year.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]