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Tokyo: Nearly one in every six Japanese lives in poverty, one of the highest rates among developed countries, according to the latest survey by Japan's welfare ministry.
In Japan's first official calculation of its relative poverty rate, the ministry said 15.7 per cent of Japanese people lived on less than half the median disposable income in 2006.
The figure, based on national statistics of income in 2006, was up from a figure of 14.6 per cent for 1997 according to the newly released ministry data.
Japan is confirmed to be "among the worst" of the the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) member countries, Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Akira Nagatsuma said on Tuesday.
"I want to implement policies to improve the figure, with child-raising allowances and other measures," Nagatsuma said.
The ratio could be worse by now as Japanese workers' salaries have fallen amid the economic slump following the 2008 global financial crisis.
The centre-left government, which ousted conservatives in August elections, has promised family-friendly policies, including a monthly allowance to households with young children.
An OECD report showed that Japan had the fourth-highest relative poverty rate among 30 member countries in the mid-2000s.
Japan's rate came to 14.9 per cent in 2004, behind worst-ranked Mexico with 18.4 per cent.
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