The Japanese New Year's tradition of giving children otoshidama money in a special envelope may be special, but it has little meaning for the 15 percent of children, more than 3 million youngsters, living below the poverty line in Japan.
According to a new global study of the well-being of children by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Japan ranked sixth among developed countries overall, but had one of the worst rates of child poverty.
The survey of the lives of young people up to age 17 in the relatively wealthy countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Japan may admirably rank number one in some areas, such as education or risky behavior.