An Increasing Inequality Trend

Abstract

Equality has been regarded as a fundamental characteristic of Japanese society since at least the Second World War. Indeed, many believe that the equality in the distribution of income, wealth, and opportunities which contributed to minimizing political, economic, and social discord enabled postwar Japan to achieve its industrial success. Recently, however, this characteristic of Japanese society has changed substantially and nearly everything in the country is currently becoming more and more unequal. It is important to analyse the many dimensions of this new inequality — in income, wages, wealth, education, occupation, and even in the attitudes held by individuals and the public toward inequality — and the interaction among them in order to understand their impact on Japan and its future.