Children in poor households tend to get limited educational opportunities, which reduces their chance of getting decent jobs and raises the prospect of them living in poverty in the future.
The government's first-ever policy outline to address the growing problem of child poverty lacks specific targets or financial measures to correct the situation. The Abe administration is urged to take more effective steps to invest in the future of such children, since breaking the vicious cycle of child poverty will be crucial to supporting the generations who support the nation in coming decades.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's latest survey, a record 16.3 percent of children lived in households that earn less than half the national median income as of 2012 — 0.6 percentage point higher than in 2009 and up from 13.7 percent as of 2003. The figure, which translates into roughly one in six children in Japan, topped the 2010 average of 13.3 percent among OECD member countries. The relative child poverty rate topped the national average of 16.1 percent (covering adults as well) for the first time since the government started taking relevant surveys in 1985.