Press translations [Japan]. Economic Series 0203, 1946-01-25.
Date25 January, 1946
translation numbereconomic-0931
call numberDS801 .S81
Persistent Identifier
ECONOMIC SERIES: 203
ITEM 1 Building Repair Industry in Tokyo - Nippon Sangyo Keizai - 23 January 1946. Translator: R. Aoki.
Full Translation:
In TOKYO at present there are about 1,200 modern permanent buildings burnt out by
fire in the air raids of last year. In order
to repair these war-damaged buildings, a new construction industry is now growing
up.
It is reported that since the new year more than 500 firms of this kind have started
and over 20,000 workers are occupied.
Names of such big builders and contractors as TAKENAKA, OHAYASHI, SHIMIZU, and OKURA
can be found, but some firms are mere
cleaners of fire-razed sites, engaging about 10 workers.
Of course, regular building repair work is highly technical and require civil engineers,
electricians, plumbers, carpenters,
joiners, glass workers, painters, iron smiths, and numerous other technicians and
laborers. The daily pay of such workers is
said to range somewhere between 30 to 100 yen.
Building repair work involves, besides labor, the difficulty of getting supplies.
Consequently, the expenses are high. It is
estimated that it costs 1,500 yen to 2,000 yen to repair one taubo (6 sq. shaku) of
the floor of a building. But, thanks to
the prevalent system of contra the work is progressing speedily. Generally, the repair
of one floor requires only 20 days.
This being so, the burnt-out buildings in the capital will be repaired more quickly
than is generally expected.
ITEM 2 Everyone's Purse is Empty; Cost of Living in Tokyo and Osaka Equally High - Nippon Sangyo Keizai - 23 January 1946. Translator: K. Sato.
Summary:
At the open-air markets flourishing in every quarter, near red light districts and
stations, we are able to obtain anything we
want. It is now six months since the termination of war, most of our savings and retirement
allowances have been spent, and a
marked decrease in our purchasing power is noticeable.
According to the survey of 10 January, the total number of open market places amounted
to 250 and stores totaled 1767. There
we see for sale steamed sweet potatoes, rice cakes, buns, vegetables, fruits, fish,
kitchen utensils, cloth, and heaps of
articles of all kinds. But the price are exorbitant, and the citizens of TOKYO who
have spent their bonuses and retirement
allowances to the last sen, cannot afford to buy them.
ECONOMIC SERIES: 203 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
Commodity prices, investigated by the TOKYO Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the
middle of December, are as follows:
Grains: Rice — 60 yen per sho; barley — 20 yen per sho; soy beans — 20 yen per sho;
wheat flour — 8 yen per 100 momme (59
times highe than the average official price).
Vegetables and Fruits: sweet potatoes — 2 yen per 100 momme; potato 2.50 yen per
100 momme; oranges - 2.98 yen per 100 momme;
radishes - sen per 100 momme; carrots and burdocks - 1.75 yen per 100 momme.
Meat: beef — 19 yen per 100 momme; pork — 20 yen per 100 momme; chicken — 21 yen
per 100 momme; eggs — 22 yen per 100
momme.
Marine products: mackerel — 10 yen per 100 momme; bonito — 12 yen per 100 momme;
sardines — 15 yen per 100 momme; cuttlefish 8
yen per momme.
Seasoning: sugar — 750 yen per kamme; salt — 50 yen per sho; bean paste (MISO) —
7 yen per 100 momme.
Cloth and outfitting; Tabi — 35 yen per pair; wodden clogs - 31.25 yen per pair;
shoes — 650 yen per pair; common silk cloth —
370 yen per 1 tan.
Kitchen utensils; toilet paper — 3.10 yen per 100 sheets; brooms — 25 yen each; Japanese
writing paper — 2 yen per 20 sheets;
bowls — 9 yen a piece; kettles — 153 yen a piece.
According to the investigation of household expenses in 110 families made by the
OSAKA Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
November, expense for food occupied 35.8 per cent to 84.3 percent of the total expenditure.
Of all the food expenses, five
percent was for rationed food, 52 percent was for food obtained from the black market,
and 43 percent was for things obtained
by barter.
Rate of expenditure against income is 8.5 times at maximum and 3.4 tin at minimum.
Most of this deficit is being covered with
savings or money obtained by selling clothes and other things.
Living expenses per head are 88.23 yen at the lowest, and 542 yen at the highest.
The following examples will show the
household economy:
Case A: Head of family, teacher (age 42), wife (32), daughter (9), first son (5),
second son (3), (five family, members).
Total income 2,560 yen.
| Items | Yen |
| Income from personal services | 450.00 |
| Other income | 75.00 |
| Side work | 16.50 |
| Gifts | 410.50 |
| Withdrawal of savings | 1,000.00 |
| Loans | 300.00 |
- 2 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 203 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
| Money obtained by selling personal belongings | 75.00 |
| Bartered goods | 229.00 |
| Total expenditures | 2,560.00 Yen. |
| Item | Yen |
| Food | 2.058.36 |
| Clothing | 11.30 |
| Water, light & heat | 5.40 |
| Hygiene and sanitation expenses | 38.50 |
| Expenses for culture [illegible]amusements | 12.00 |
| Transportation | 100.00 |
| Tax | 40.43 |
| Savings | 8.70 |
| House rent | 23.00 |
| Others | 137.50 |
Monthly living expense per head is 487.04 yen.
Case B: Head of family (58), company employee, wife (53), second son (29), second
son's wife (26), (4 family members).
Total income —- 1,319.23 yen.
| Item | Yen |
| Income from personal services | 335.00 |
| Gifts | 303.00 |
| Money gotten by selling or bartering personal belongings | 83.35 |
| Bartered goods | 100.00 |
| Decrease in case at hand | 497.88 |
Total expenditures — 1,319.23 yen.
| Items | Yen |
| Food | 1,112.18 |
| Clothing | 0.93 |
| Water, light, & heat | 4.83 |
- 3 -
ECONOMIC SERIES: 203 (Continued)
ITEM 2 (Continued)
| Furniture & fixtures | 1.30 |
| Expenses for hygene & sanitation | 3.13 |
| Expenses for Culture & amusements | 8.30 |
| Luxury | 46.74 |
| Transportation expenses | 32.70 |
| Social expenses | 83.35 |
| Tax | 1.77 |
| House rent | 24.00 |
Monthly living expenses per head are 329.81 yen in this case
DISTRIBUTION "X"
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