54% of single parent households in poverty

A government survey shows that more than half of Japan's single-parent households were living in poverty in 2007.

The welfare ministry conducted the survey based on disposable income of households and released for the first time in October a part of the findings that shows the country's overall poverty rate was 15.7 percent.

Further analysis of the findings released on Friday shows that the poverty rate for single parent households was 54.3 percent, 44.1 percentage points higher than that for households with 2 or more adults raising a child or children. The poverty rate for that group was 10.2 percent.

A welfare ministry official said many single-parents are non-regular or part-time workers, and that the situation will not improve unless a system under which such people can work full-time is established in Japan.