Labor

Earnings, Income, and Wealth Inequality in Japan: A Long‑term Perspective, 1984–2019

This study examines trends in earnings, income and wealth inequality among households in Japan from 1984 to 2019. Our findings reveal that inequality in all three domains has increased over the last decades, but due to different underlying factors. The rise in earnings and income inequality is primarily driven by demographic aging, with an increasing proportion of elderly households who typically exhibit higher inequality levels. The growth in wealth inequality is evident not only in the overall population but is particularly pronounced among the young. This trend is largely attributed to a significant rise in the number of households that possess extremely low wealth. Key factors contributing to inequality trends in Japan include aging demographics, shifts in household structure, and major macroeconomic developments such as the financial bubble period and the prolonged economic slow-down that followed.

Mar 12, 2025

Inequality Dynamics in Japan, 1981-2021

Discussion paper available.

Apr 28, 2024

Dimensions of Inequality in Japan: Distributions of Earnings, Income and Wealth between 1984 and 2014

Discussion paper available.

May 1, 2019

Effects of Monetary Policy Shocks on Inequality in Japan

Discussion paper available.

Jul 7, 2017

Cross-sectional Facts in Japan using Keio Household Panel Survey

MPRA Paper.

Sep 18, 2013

Inequalities in Japanese Economy during the Lost Decades

Jul 16, 2012

Consumption, Working Hours, and Wealth Determination in Life Cycle

Jun 22, 2007