> The ice-agers’ misfortunes contrast starkly with those of the generation that came just before. During the bubble years of the 1980s, companies hired voraciously.

> Everything changed as the bubble popped in the early 1990s. Japan’s rigid employment system made it hard to shed existing workers, so they cut hiring instead. The ratio of job openings to college applicants fell from nearly three at peak to below one by 2000.

> Many graduates who failed to secure regular jobs ended up in temporary or contract work. Japan’s labour market sharply distinguishes between regular workers, who enjoy strong legal protections and seniority-based pay rises, and irregular ones, who often do similar work for much less money and are the first to be laid off in downturns.

You'll still hear people complaining about things like a crack in the road that hasn't been repaired in a timely manner (timely being less than 2 weeks).

I would be curious what your description of a high quality of life is. As I don't believe that for one of the great global powers is what is considered a high quality of life.

Firstly, the worth of the wage locally has dropped by approximately a third in just a few years. I worked there for 7/8 years in recent times and can see such a change from then to now in my colleagues and now friends lifestyle. Most are significantly cutting back in their life in some way.

Secondly openly it looks as if very few go hungry but that's not the case. Pensioners, those with disabilities, and many single parent families are really struggling to put food on the table for all in Japan. For many others, I don't count eating ramen regularly, which is effectively a student diet (also because of poverty) as being satiated.