Japanese welfare rolls at record high in January

A major national daily newspaper says the number of Japanese households on welfare hit a record high in January amid mounting job losses and an ever-deepening recession. Calculations by the Asahi newspaper say that almost 1.17 million households received welfare benefits during the month, with new applications for government assistance jumping 30 percent from December.
Sundays data showed that welfare applications climbed particularly sharply in regions where auto and electronics factories are concentrated. Japan is now mired in what officials are calling the worst recession since World War II.