In Recession
Japan's economic crash is forcing the middle-aged onto the streets
Japan has long prided itself on keeping jobless numbers far below the West, but now unemployment is rising and hitting men over 50 the hardest. Not entitled to a pension before the age of 65, many are left to their own devices.
"I used to be a carpenter... there are no jobs available these days", says one man who has been homeless for a decade. But in downtown Tokyo the crashing economy still seems far away. A student says "I don't care about the recession... It doesn't affect me at all". Economist Noriko Hama likens the Japanese economy to the Titanic: "It is a huge ship... People on the decks are still drinking champagne but people at the bottom are about to drown... It takes a while before everybody starts to feel the pain, but I think we're getting there."
Produced by Back to Back
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