A record number of over 2 million people were living on welfare as of July amid prolonged economic stagnation, surpassing the highest-ever monthly average logged 60 years ago in the aftermath of World War II, the welfare ministry said Wednesday.
The number of welfare recipients in July totaled 2,050,495, up 8,903 from the previous month, and is expected to continue to rise given the nation's aging population and the impact of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis. The previous record was 2,046,646 in fiscal 1951.
After bottoming out in fiscal 1995 at a monthly average of about 880,000 after the burst of the bubble economy, the welfare population has steadily risen since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in autumn 2008, topping 2 million last March.
The number of households on welfare also hit a record high of 1,486,341 as of July, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
A total of 939 households have also become new welfare recipients since March due to the effects of the March 11 disasters. Roughly half — 466 — were households in Fukushima Prefecture.
The total sum of welfare benefits topped ¥2 trillion in fiscal 2001 and ¥3 trillion in fiscal 2009. The government has appropriated ¥3.4 trillion in such outlays for fiscal 2011, which ends next March 31.