Last month the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development cataloged Japanese dissatisfaction in a survey of Japan and the 33 other members of the OECD. The compiled results in OECD's "Your Better Life Index" show that despite the relatively good aspects of life in Japan, many more parts of Japanese life desperately need change.
The new OECD index surveyed citizens of the member countries about 11 aspects of life such as housing, income, community, education and work-life balance. Japanese reported very low life satisfaction, with only 40 percent of people satisfied with their lives, compared with the OECD average of 59 percent.
Japan was just below South Korea and a far below the most highly satisfied countries of Denmark, Canada and Switzerland. Even worse, Japan was third from the bottom in its evaluation of work-life balance, just above Turkey and Mexico.