vitrine · JP · room 7 of 7
The 2010s room
The composite family. Each room is a statistical composite, assembled from separate distributions with separate sources. The family at the median income did not also have the median house, the median car, and the median diet. No single family described here ever existed; each fact tells you, in its provenance drawer, which real population it was measured from.
No curator's route yet
The room is open; the route is not written
This room's facts are sourced and complete. The editorial route through them has not been authored yet — the ledgers below are the exhibit.
era-graded wash · absent technology isn't drawn · every glyph opens its record
The complete room
All six ledgers, including the curator's route above and the records around it. Value, tier, measured population, and source on every line.
The home
4 exhibits61.7%A
Homeownership rate, 2013observed record
% of occupied dwellings owner-occupied
Population measuredDwellings and households in sampled enumeration districts nationwide. Excludes diplomatic facilities, Imperial property, jails, SDF/US military bases.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Housing and Land Survey (住宅・土地統計調査) — via Japan Statistical Yearbook
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-5 (jsy2016-y652105000.xls): 32,166 thousand owned ÷ 52,102 thousand occupied dwellings = 61.7% (homeownership ratio). The 2018 survey (JSY 2026 Table 21-5) gave 61.2%. Homeownership held near 61% across the decade. 2013 is the HLS year closest to the 2015 income anchor.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-5 (jsy2016-y652105000.xls): 32,166 thousand owned ÷ 52,102 thousand occupied dwellings = 61.7% (homeownership ratio). The 2018 survey (JSY 2026 Table 21-5) gave 61.2%. Homeownership held near 61% across the decade. 2013 is the HLS year closest to the 2015 income anchor.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
94.42 m²A
Floor area per dwelling, 2013observed record
m² per dwelling (occupied dwellings, nationwide)
Population measuredDwellings and households in sampled enumeration districts nationwide. Excludes diplomatic facilities, Imperial property, jails, SDF/US military bases.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Housing and Land Survey (住宅・土地統計調査) — via Japan Statistical Yearbook
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-1 (jsy2016-y652101000.xls): 94.42 m² floor space per dwelling (occupied dwellings). Near the 2003 peak (94.85 m²); the 2018 survey (JSY 2026 Table 21-1) gave 93.04 m², beginning a decline as the population shrank. Owned houses averaged 120.93 m² vs rented 51.91 m².
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-1 (jsy2016-y652101000.xls): 94.42 m² floor space per dwelling (occupied dwellings). Near the 2003 peak (94.85 m²); the 2018 survey (JSY 2026 Table 21-1) gave 93.04 m², beginning a decline as the population shrank. Owned houses averaged 120.93 m² vs rented 51.91 m².
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
4.59 roomsA
Rooms per dwelling, 2013observed record
rooms per dwelling (occupied dwellings, nationwide)
Population measuredDwellings and households in sampled enumeration districts nationwide. Excludes diplomatic facilities, Imperial property, jails, SDF/US military bases.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Housing and Land Survey (住宅・土地統計調査) — via Japan Statistical Yearbook
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-1 (jsy2016-y652101000.xls): 4.59 rooms per dwelling. Rooms declined steadily — 4.77 (2003) → 4.67 (2008) → 4.59 (2013) → 4.42 (2018) — as household size fell (persons per room 0.53 in 2013, down from 0.56 in 2003). Smaller households occupied fewer rooms despite stable floor area. Nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From HLS 2013 via JSY 2016 Table 21-1 (jsy2016-y652101000.xls): 4.59 rooms per dwelling. Rooms declined steadily — 4.77 (2003) → 4.67 (2008) → 4.59 (2013) → 4.42 (2018) — as household size fell (persons per room 0.53 in 2013, down from 0.56 in 2003). Smaller households occupied fewer rooms despite stable floor area. Nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
no reliable record accessible onlineD
Dwelling facilities (bath, flush toilet, kitchen)documented gap
n/a
Population measuredDwellings and households in sampled enumeration districts nationwide. Excludes diplomatic facilities, Imperial property, jails, SDF/US military bases.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier D
Full record
Housing and Land Survey (住宅・土地統計調査) — via Japan Statistical Yearbook
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The HLS 'Situation of facilities' (bath, toilet, kitchen) data is not published in the English JSY tables — only aged-person and energy-saving facility tables appear. Basic facility prevalence for the 2010s is not transcribed; needs e-Stat (Japanese) or printed HLS reports.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The HLS 'Situation of facilities' (bath, toilet, kitchen) data is not published in the English JSY tables — only aged-person and energy-saving facility tables appear. Basic facility prevalence for the 2010s is not transcribed; needs e-Stat (Japanese) or printed HLS reports.
Source note: Quinquennial since 1948 (first survey was a census). Renamed from 'Housing Survey' to 'Housing and Land Survey' in 1998. English stat.go.jp pages provide only survey outlines; summary results extracted from Japan Statistical Yearbook (JSY) Excel tables: JSY 2016 (65nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-8 covering 1988–2013, JSY 2026 (75nenkan) tables 21-1/21-5/21-6 covering 2013–2023. Homeownership rate, floor area, rooms per dwelling available. Basic bath/toilet facility data NOT in English JSY tables — needs e-Stat.
The budget
2 exhibits¥525,955 per monthA
Workers' household monthly income, 2015observed record
JPY per month, nominal (actual monthly income, workers' households)
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households (workers' households and all households), Japan. Urban-only before 1962; national from 1963.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Family Income and Expenditure Survey (家計調査) — long-run time-series tables
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From FIES long-run time-series (fies-a18-2.xls), 2015, column 実収入, workers' households. Essentially flat versus 2005 (¥522,629) — nominal income stagnated for a decade, still 8% below the 1995 peak (¥570,817). Real (CPI-adjusted) income rose as prices fell. Two-or-more-person workers' households, Japan.
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From FIES long-run time-series (fies-a18-2.xls), 2015, column 実収入, workers' households. Essentially flat versus 2005 (¥522,629) — nominal income stagnated for a decade, still 8% below the 1995 peak (¥570,817). Real (CPI-adjusted) income rose as prices fell. Two-or-more-person workers' households, Japan.
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
¥361,684 per monthA
Average monthly cash earnings, all surveyed industries, 2015observed record
JPY per month, nominal (total cash earnings, all surveyed industries, establishments with 30+ regular workers)
Population measuredEstablishments with 30 or more regular workers, all surveyed industries (total), Japan. Calendar year averages.
Source recordMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Monthly Labour Survey (毎月勤労統計調査) — long-term actual data
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From MLS long-term actual data (mls-long-term-actual.csv), year=2015, month=CY, industry=TL, size=0, emp_type=0. Calendar-year average of monthly total cash earnings. Continued decline from ¥381,807 (2005) — down 11.5% from the 1995 peak (¥408,864). Establishment/payroll survey, not household income.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From MLS long-term actual data (mls-long-term-actual.csv), year=2015, month=CY, industry=TL, size=0, emp_type=0. Calendar-year average of monthly total cash earnings. Continued decline from ¥381,807 (2005) — down 11.5% from the 1995 peak (¥408,864). Establishment/payroll survey, not household income.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
The table
2 exhibits¥288,326 per monthA
Monthly consumption expenditure, all households, 2015observed record
JPY per month, nominal (consumption expenditure, all two-or-more-person households)
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households (workers' households and all households), Japan. Urban-only before 1962; national from 1963.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Family Income and Expenditure Survey (家計調査) — long-run time-series tables
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From FIES long-run time-series (fies-a18-1.xls), 2015, all two-or-more-person households. Continued decline from ¥300,903 (2005) — down 12.4% from the 1995 peak (¥329,062). Nominal consumption fell as deflation persisted. Population differs from the income fact (all households vs workers' households).
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Monthly figure
Curator note: From FIES long-run time-series (fies-a18-1.xls), 2015, all two-or-more-person households. Continued decline from ¥300,903 (2005) — down 12.4% from the 1995 peak (¥329,062). Nominal consumption fell as deflation persisted. Population differs from the income fact (all households vs workers' households).
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Assumption: Japan's lost decades: nominal stagnation amid real gains
25.0%A
Food share of consumption expenditure, 2015observed record
% of consumption expenditure spent on food
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households (workers' households and all households), Japan. Urban-only before 1962; national from 1963.
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Family Income and Expenditure Survey (家計調査) — long-run time-series tables
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From FIES (fies-a18-1.xls), 2015: food ¥72,114 ÷ consumption ¥288,326 = 25.0%. All two-or-more-person households. The Engel ratio reversed its long decline — rising from 22.9% (2005) to 25.0% (2015) as nominal consumption expenditure fell faster than food spending. Still well below the 1965 level (38.1%).
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From FIES (fies-a18-1.xls), 2015: food ¥72,114 ÷ consumption ¥288,326 = 25.0%. All two-or-more-person households. The Engel ratio reversed its long decline — rising from 22.9% (2005) to 25.0% (2015) as nominal consumption expenditure fell faster than food spending. Still well below the 1965 level (38.1%).
Source note: Monthly survey of household income and expenditure, continuous from 1946. Three universes: workers' households, all two-or-more-person households, one-person households. Expenditure classification revised in 1981 (methodology seam). Long-run Excel tables downloaded: fies-18-02-a.xls (workers' households, all cities, 1948–1962), fies-a18-2.xls (workers' households, 1963–2017), fies-a18-1.xls (all two-or-more-person households, 1963–2017). Before 1962 the survey covered cities only — pre-1962 facts carry the urban-rural-split caveat. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the Statistics Bureau reorganized the English site and the old /data/kakei/tsuki/ deep link 404s; repointed at the FIES English landing page, which links the outline, results, and Q&A pages (1560–1563). The long-run Excel tables cited above remain in samples/.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
The day
1 exhibit148.7 hoursA
Average monthly working hours, 2015observed record
hours per month, all surveyed industries, establishments with 30+ regular workers
Population measuredEstablishments with 30 or more regular workers, all surveyed industries (total), Japan. Calendar year averages.
Source recordMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) · 2025 · Tier A
Full record
Monthly Labour Survey (毎月勤労統計調査) — long-term actual data
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From MLS long-term actual data (mls-long-term-actual.csv), year=2015, month=CY, industry=TL, size=0, emp_type=0. Calendar-year average of monthly working hours. Continued decline from 152.5 (2005) — down 15.4% from the 1985 level (175.8). Establishments with 30+ regular workers, all surveyed industries.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From MLS long-term actual data (mls-long-term-actual.csv), year=2015, month=CY, industry=TL, size=0, emp_type=0. Calendar-year average of monthly working hours. Continued decline from 152.5 (2005) — down 15.4% from the 1985 level (175.8). Establishments with 30+ regular workers, all surveyed industries.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
What had arrived
11 exhibits61.9%A
Households with a flat-screen television, 2009observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary (https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/zensho/2009/pdf/results4.pdf): flat-screen TV ownership rate 61.9% (865 units per 1,000 households). A new survey item in 2009; up 652.2% from 2004. The CRT/Braun-tube TV rate was 74.9% (down from 97.3% in 2004) as households replaced CRTs. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey — the 2014 and 2019 surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary (https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/zensho/2009/pdf/results4.pdf): flat-screen TV ownership rate 61.9% (865 units per 1,000 households). A new survey item in 2009; up 652.2% from 2004. The CRT/Braun-tube TV rate was 74.9% (down from 97.3% in 2004) as households replaced CRTs. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey — the 2014 and 2019 surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
92.7%A
Households with a mobile phone (NSFIIE 2009)observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: cellular phone ownership rate 92.7% (2,131 units per 1,000 households). Up from 84.7% (2004). The ICWP 2015 (end 2014) household penetration was 94.6%, of which smartphones were 64.2%. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: cellular phone ownership rate 92.7% (2,131 units per 1,000 households). Up from 84.7% (2004). The ICWP 2015 (end 2014) household penetration was 94.6%, of which smartphones were 64.2%. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
75.9%A
Households with a personal computer (NSFIIE 2009)observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: PC ownership rate 75.9% (1,157 units per 1,000 households). Up 15.8% from 2004 (69.3%). The ICWP 2015 (end 2014) household penetration was 78.0%. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: PC ownership rate 75.9% (1,157 units per 1,000 households). Up 15.8% from 2004 (69.3%). The ICWP 2015 (end 2014) household penetration was 78.0%. 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
85.5%A
Households with a car, 2009observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: car ownership rate 85.5% (1,414 units per 1,000 households). Slightly down from 86.2% (2004). Hybrid/electric cars were a new 2009 survey item (19 units per 1,000 households). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: car ownership rate 85.5% (1,414 units per 1,000 households). Slightly down from 86.2% (2004). Hybrid/electric cars were a new 2009 survey item (19 units per 1,000 households). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
99.5%A
Households with a washing machine, 2009observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: washing machine ownership rate 99.5%. Near-universal in two-or-more-person households (up from 99.2% in 2004). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: washing machine ownership rate 99.5%. Near-universal in two-or-more-person households (up from 99.2% in 2004). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
98.7%A
Households with a refrigerator, 2009observed record
% of two-or-more-person households
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier A
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: refrigerator ownership rate 98.7%. Near-universal in two-or-more-person households (down marginally from 99.0% in 2004). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NSFIIE 2009 summary: refrigerator ownership rate 98.7%. Near-universal in two-or-more-person households (down marginally from 99.0% in 2004). 2009 is the closest available NSFIIE survey. Two-or-more-person households, nationwide.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
94.6%A
Households with a mobile phone, end 2014observed record
% of households (Communications Usage Trend Survey)
Population measuredHouseholds and individuals in Japan (varies by chapter — household penetration vs individual users)
Source recordMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2015 · Tier A
Full record
Information and Communications White Paper (情報通信白書) — English summaries
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: mobile phones and PHS handsets household penetration 94.6%. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: mobile phones and PHS handsets household penetration 94.6%. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
64.2%A
Households with a smartphone, end 2014observed record
% of households (Communications Usage Trend Survey)
Population measuredHouseholds and individuals in Japan (varies by chapter — household penetration vs individual users)
Source recordMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2015 · Tier A
Full record
Information and Communications White Paper (情報通信白書) — English summaries
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: smartphone household penetration 64.2% (up 1.6 percentage points from the previous year). Smartphones are included within the 94.6% mobile/PHS figure. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: smartphone household penetration 64.2% (up 1.6 percentage points from the previous year). Smartphones are included within the 94.6% mobile/PHS figure. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
78.0%A
Households with a personal computer, end 2014observed record
% of households (Communications Usage Trend Survey)
Population measuredHouseholds and individuals in Japan (varies by chapter — household penetration vs individual users)
Source recordMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2015 · Tier A
Full record
Information and Communications White Paper (情報通信白書) — English summaries
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: computer household penetration 78.0%. Essentially unchanged from 2004 (77.5%) — PC penetration plateaued as smartphones displaced secondary PCs. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7, Section 1 (Figure 7-2-1-1), data end of 2014: computer household penetration 78.0%. Essentially unchanged from 2004 (77.5%) — PC penetration plateaued as smartphones displaced secondary PCs. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
99.9%A
Households with ultra-high-speed broadband availability, end 2014observed record
% of households with ultra-high-speed broadband availability
Population measuredHouseholds and individuals in Japan (varies by chapter — household penetration vs individual users)
Source recordMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2015 · Tier A
Full record
Information and Communications White Paper (情報通信白書) — English summaries
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7 (Figure 7-2-2-2), data end of FY 2014: ultra-high-speed broadband (FTTH, cable TV Internet, FWA, BWA, or LTE, ≥30 Mbps download) available to 99.9% of households (55.53 million). All-types broadband availability was 100% (55.57 million). Fixed-line broadband subscriptions 36.80 million. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2015 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ICWP 2015 white paper, Chapter 7 (Figure 7-2-2-2), data end of FY 2014: ultra-high-speed broadband (FTTH, cable TV Internet, FWA, BWA, or LTE, ≥30 Mbps download) available to 99.9% of households (55.53 million). All-types broadband availability was 100% (55.57 million). Fixed-line broadband subscriptions 36.80 million. Source: 2014 Communications Usage Trend Survey, MIC.
Source note: Annual white paper since 1973. English online summaries available 2001–2024. Key data: household penetration of mobile phones, PCs, fax, car navigation, broadband; internet users and penetration. Pre-2001 English summaries not available online (may be Japanese-only or print). Chapter PDFs downloaded for 2001 (ch.2), 2005 (ch.2), 2010 (ch.4), 2015 (ch.5).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Japanese surveys measure households, not four-person families
no reliable record accessible onlineD
Durable-goods diffusion, NSFIIE 2014 and 2019 surveysdocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredTwo-or-more-person households nationwide (separate data for one-person households). Excludes restaurants/boarding houses, foreign households (pre-2019).
Source recordStatistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) · 2009 · Tier D
Full record
National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (全国消費実態調査) — durable goods summaries
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The 2014 NSFIIE and the 2019 survey (renamed to National Survey of Family Income, Consumption and Wealth) do not publish English durable-goods summaries — the English pages link only to e-Stat statistical tables (Japanese interface). The NSFIIE 2009 figures shown above are the closest available English-language durable-goods data; the ICWP 2015 household penetration rates (mobile, smartphone, PC, broadband) fill part of the gap for the 2010s.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), 2009 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The 2014 NSFIIE and the 2019 survey (renamed to National Survey of Family Income, Consumption and Wealth) do not publish English durable-goods summaries — the English pages link only to e-Stat statistical tables (Japanese interface). The NSFIIE 2009 figures shown above are the closest available English-language durable-goods data; the ICWP 2015 household penetration rates (mobile, smartphone, PC, broadband) fill part of the gap for the 2010s.
Source note: Quinquennial deep-dive survey since 1959. Publishes 'Summary of Results Concerning Major Durable Goods' with possession rates (% of households) and ownership quantities (per 1,000 households) for ~40 categories. English HTML summaries available for 1999, 2004, 2009. The 2014 and 2019 (renamed) surveys do not publish English durable-goods summaries — data only via e-Stat (Japanese). Main data tables are image-based (GIF) on HTML pages; numbers transcribed from narrative text.
A day's work buys
1 exhibitno reliable record accessible onlineD
Affordability comparisons, 2010sdocumented gap
n/a
Population measuredEstablishments with 30 or more regular workers, all surveyed industries (total), Japan. Calendar year averages.
Source recordMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) · 2025 · Tier D
Full record
Monthly Labour Survey (毎月勤労統計調査) — long-term actual data
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No item prices are in the archive for the 2010s, so hours-of-work-to-afford comparisons cannot be computed. The MLS wage (¥361,684/month, 2015) is the available wage reference. Under deflation, the affordability axis (hours-to-afford) would be the more reliable comparator than nominal-value ratios.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2025 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: No item prices are in the archive for the 2010s, so hours-of-work-to-afford comparisons cannot be computed. The MLS wage (¥361,684/month, 2015) is the available wage reference. Under deflation, the affordability axis (hours-to-afford) would be the more reliable comparator than nominal-value ratios.
Source note: Monthly payroll survey of employment, wages (total cash earnings), and working hours. Long-term actual CSV (mls-long-term-actual.csv) covers 1960–2026 at industry level; all-industry (TL) total available from 1970. Data for 1955/1965 taken from scanned Japan Statistical Yearbook pages. 'Total cash earnings' includes regular pay (所定内給与) and special pay (特別に支給された給与).
Confidence & flags
A — official statistical series
B — official microdata, computed by this project
C — reconstructed from period surveys
D — scholarly estimate
Gap — no reliable record; shown as the gap it is
Reading the atlas
Provenance is in the scan-line: every exhibit's row names its value, confidence tier, the population actually measured, and the source record. Chart points and stage glyphs open the same record.
Rising series draw in petrol, falling in ember. Absent technology isn't drawn — a bare house says more than ghosts.