Various data show that the income gap is widening in Japan, which has long prided itself on being a nation of equality, free of class struggle.
A new wealthy class has arisen in recent years, despite the bursting in the early 1990s of the economic bubble. Members of this class include such people as dealers at foreign financial institutions and people who have made huge financial gains through such means as the public offerings of information technology businesses.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has risen to nearly 5 percent, while more than 1 million Japanese are now receiving state welfare assistance. Within companies, differences in employee salaries are growing, as wages are increasingly linked to employee performance and abilities.