Self-employed business operators, especially moneylenders and sex-industry establishments, failed to declare 856.5 billion yen in the 12 months to June 30, the lowest figure on record, National Tax Agency data show.
The figure was 94.9 billion yen lower than in the previous 12-month period. It marks the third straight year-on-year drop, the tax agency said.
The agency surveyed around 768,000 self-employed people, including doctors, restaurateurs, moneylenders and people in the sex trade whose income reports appeared questionable. It found that 569,000, or 74 percent, had failed to declare their income properly.
Moneylenders failed to declare the largest amount of income per case, with 30.93 million yen. Sex-industry proprietors ranked second with 22.61 million yen, followed by hospital operators with 16.53 million yen.