Over 70 Pct in Japan Worried about Inflation: Govt Survey

Tokyo, Jan. 17 (Jiji Press)--More than 70 pct of people in Japan are worried about inflation, a government survey suggested Friday.

The survey asked in which areas Japan is headed for the worse, with multiple answers allowed. The proportion of respondents who pointed to prices was 70.8 pct, the highest level since such a question began in 1998.

The result "seems to reflect many people's frustration with rising prices," an official of the Cabinet Office said.

The economy came in second with 51.1 pct, followed by national finance with 39.5 pct, economic power with 39.5 pct and public security with 37.1 pct.

The proportion of respondents citing disaster prevention jumped 10.2 percentage points from the previous survey to 15.3 pct, following the massive Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan on Jan. 1, 2024, and the Japan Meteorological Agency's release last August of emergency information about a possible Nankai Trough megaquake.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]