Japan's new inequality

After the collapse of Japan's bubble-economy in the late 1980s, a wide range of neo-liberal reforms were introduced which dramatically affected the nature of the labor market. These reforms expanded and consolidated a two-tier market, widening the gap between those who benefit from the 'company citizenship' of 'regular', long-term and secure employment conditions and those who are increasingly disadvantaged by reduced income and security in the peripheral non-regular system of casual and short-term employment. The authors of this volume use of variety of data, including the 2005 Social Stratification and Mobility (SSM) survey results, to analyze the effects of labor market reforms on social mobility, social welfare, incomes as well as the policy implications for homelessness.