The number of households on welfare in Japan reached a new record 1,618,196 as of December last year, up 3,296 from the previous month, government data showed Wednesday.
The number of recipients stood at 2,170,161 in the month, up 3,388 from a month earlier, marking the second-highest rise, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said.
Of the total, the number of households consisting of persons aged 65 or older came to 764,693, or 47.5 percent, the ministry said.
The number of so-called “other households” that include persons who are able to work but receiving public assistance came to 279,536, while that of single-mother households was 109,250. Both figures showed a drop from a year earlier, reflecting the recent economic recovery, a ministry official said.
