{
  "id": 8816812,
  "title": "Daily food spending below ¥500 among low-income people in Japan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/daily-food-spending-below-500-among-low-income-people-in-japan",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T01:53:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/21/japan/daily-food-spending/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A survey conducted by Save the Children Japan reveals that low-income households in Japan spend an average of less than ¥500 on food per person each day, despite ongoing inflation. The survey, which polled 8,736 parents nationwide, found that 94.5% of respondents were single parents, and over 60% were either in debt or relying on savings. For two-person households, the average food expenditure per person decreased from ¥533 to ¥490 compared to the previous year, while for households with six members, it dropped to ¥361. Approximately 85.5% of respondents reported being unable to purchase the necessary groceries for their families due to the rising food prices, leading many to reduce their food spending to make ends meet. Save the Children Japan officials have called for immediate action from both central and local governments to implement policies that would benefit these needy households.",
  "summary": "About 85.5% of those surveyed reported that they had been unable to buy the groceries their families needed during the past year.",
  "key_points": [
    "Low-income Japanese households spend less than ¥500 on food daily.",
    "94.5% of respondents were single parents in the survey.",
    "85.5% couldn't afford groceries due to rising food prices."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The stark daily food spending of low-income households in Japan underscores the struggle of vulnerable families to cope with inflation, highlighting the need for government intervention to support their basic needs.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}