1. INTRODUCTION
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1.1 General background
With a total population of 122 million, Japan is the world's seventh most populous country. Japan is highly urbanized. Over half of the population live within the “Pacific Belt", a region that stretches along the Pacific side of the main island from Tokyo to Kobe.
Japan's population is aging faster than any other population in the world. The growth rate is very low (0.5%). Just under 20% of the population is aged 15 and under, while 15% is 60 or over. (It is estimated that by the year 2000, the over 60s will account for 21%.)
Adult literacy is almost universal. The least educated people are the older age groups (from 55 upwards): among the younger people, educational levels are high. Currently, 95% of school students continue to senior high school, and over 30% go on to higher education1.
Japan is a leader in the world economy and the input of the Japanese workforce is an important factor in the economic success. The Japanese work long hours and only a minority (under at third) have a 5-day week. (Some people have one or two weekends free each month).
Time use studies carried out in Japan indicate that the average time spent working has actually increased in the 1980s2. When averaged over the whole working population, men spend over 10 hours on weekdays on work/commuting, women almost 8 hours. (The averages differ largely because of part-time working by many women returning to work after bringing up their children.) It is not unusual for men to spend 10 to 12 hours a day working3. Women still do most of the housework, whether they have a job outside the home or not.
The pressure of work is already high early on in the life of the Japanese. Because of the highly competitive nature of the Japanese education system, school students have long days and also attend school on Saturday mornings. High-school students can spend up to 50 hours a week studying, supplementing their lessons by attending juku (evening school) to help pass all-important exams. On the other hand, among adults under re- tirement age, the demographic group with most free time appears to be college/univer- sity students.
The Japanese, therefore, have less leisure time than their counterparts in the other most developed countries. In the 1980s, the time spent on the mass media (radio, television and newspapers) has decreased, while that spent on more active leisuretime pursuits outside the home, has increased. Nevertheless, watching television is still the single most popular leisuretime activity".
1Senior high school is equivalent to the British 6th form.
Source: Japanese Time Use in 1985, NHK.
Various sources, including 'Financial Times Survey' on Japan, July 1988
*see Footnote 3.
"Source: NHK Time Use Studies
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