TOKYO -- The government of Japan is engaging in comprehensive economic measures to address skyrocketing consumer prices, but are these reaching the people who really need help? The Mainichi Shimbun heard the perspective of a low-income single mother who lives in the capital.

Some benefits out of reach

"You can just have one candy." A mother of two in her 40s living in Tokyo brings her child in the third grade of elementary school to the discount supermarket on weekends. The child holds a calculator, using it to estimate the after-tax prices. The woman plans their menu of the day based on what they can buy inexpensively.

Even rice is costly, but her other child is a voracious eater in their first year of junior high. She deals with it by buying bean sprouts and other inexpensive items to add volume to their meals.

She sets a weekly budget for food at around 7,000 yen (roughly $46). "Before the coronavirus pandemic, I was able to keep it down to 5,000 yen a week, but it's gone up. I can't buy what we want to eat or afford to give my kids pocket money. They know about the high prices," the woman commented.

As an economic strategy, the national government is providing a 30,000-yen ($200 or so) benefit for households exempt from residential tax, of which 20,000 yen per person is added for households raising children.

However, the woman does not qualify because she pays residence taxes.

Her take-home pay from part-time office work is around 160,000 to 180,000 yen (approx. $1,000 to $1,200). At her current workplace, she started out in 2022 at a wage of 1,400 yen (about $9) an hour, and has gotten an annual 50-yen raise, achieving in April 2024 Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's stated goal of a 1,500-yen national minimum wage.

Including a child care allowance given to single parents, she receives public assistance equivalent to a monthly total of around 100,000 yen (roughly $650). She puts each month's amount into envelopes and tries to only use funds from that month's portion.

Little help for cooking gas, electricity or gasoline

Several years ago, she split from her husband due to his severe domestic violence. Her ex-spouse does not know where she lives now, but just in case, she chose to reside in an apartment with an auto-locking door. She cannot rely on the alimony payments that she receives irregularly, and feels squeezed by her rent, which is over 100,000 yen.

The national government decided to provide financial aid for gas and electric bills between January and March 2025, when those are to hit their peaks from high usage. However, the woman said this will help little, since she's already doing her part to save on energy. Her gas bills are around 2,500 to 3,000 yen (some $17 to $20) a month while electricity is approximately 5,000 yen. She unplugs one of their two "aircon" heating and air conditioning units, and they manage by wearing sweaters and other things in winter. The other unit is usually used only on snowy days, the woman said.

The gasoline benefit, which became continuous rather than a one-off, is also meaningless to her since she doesn't have a car. She previously qualified for reductions in the water and sewage bill, so that assistance too makes little impact.

Hoping to save for her children's college, she allocates the child raising assistance payments to school expenses insurance. She sometimes dips into savings from a previous job as a full-time employee at a different company.

"If it goes on like this, my savings won't do it. Just about the only place to cut back is on food," the woman said, explaining that her daily lunches consist of one rice ball she brings with her.

She was diagnosed with anemia in July after a bout with dizziness and was told by the doctor to eat a balanced diet. However, wishing to provide plenty for her children to eat, she prioritizes their meals at dinnertime as well.

Can't even afford a graduation album

Lots of families in the capital area are enthusiastic about education, but the woman cannot afford to send her kids to "cram schools" or extracurricular classes. She did not even buy the graduation album from her elder child's elementary school, at a cost of nearly 20,000 yen (about $130). Nor can she take her kids on a trip anywhere far over summer break. She said, "Even if we were to get the benefits, one time won't stabilize our lives."

In October 2024, the child raising benefits became available for parents regardless of income. The woman noted feeling the enhancement of support for middle-class families "will increasingly widen the gap with low-income households."

Because her current part-time job has a contractual limit of five years, the woman is already searching for her next workplace. "My wages return to the start line each time I change jobs, so my income isn't stable," she shared, wishing for measures that would help regarding stable employment.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, among the some 1.2 million single-mother households in the country, 86% of the women hold jobs. Of these, 49% are full-time staffers and 39% are part-time workers. Their average annual income from work is just 2.36 million yen (around $15,500)

Chieko Akaishi, head director of the Tokyo-based nonprofit "Single mothers forum," said, "The baseline for benefits should be raised in line with rising prices. On top of that, it is crucial to realize wage increases and expand the child support allowance rather than continuing with temporary benefits."

(Japanese original by Takashi Yamashita, Business News Department)