Factbox: From triumph of 1964 Olympics to coronavirus: Japan then and now

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan hoped that hosting the 2020 Olympics would reprise the triumph of 1964, when it grew to become the initial Asian Olympics host and acquired a massive financial increase, but the coronavirus – which postponed the Game titles for a 12 months – has dampened these goals.

Japanese culture is incredibly distinct from October 1964, when numerous folks observed the Tokyo Games as their country’s proud return to the intercontinental group following its crushing Globe War Two defeat significantly less than 20 yrs earlier.

In other places, the Beatles made their debut journey to the United States, in which “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was their initial chart-topping U.S. strike, and Martin Luther King Jr was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

AT Property

In 1964, Japanese households had been big and occupied practically half of all households had at the very least 4 associates and roughly a quarter experienced six or a lot more. Adult males lived 67.7 yrs on typical, girls 72.9, and a single in 4 individuals were 15 or more youthful. Only a scant handful ended up above 65.

Nominal annual salaries, on average, ended up a single tenth of what they are these days, with month-to-month paychecks just scarcely ahead of expenditures. A bowl of ramen noodles cost a tenth of what it does currently, but the cost of bananas has not altered.

Keen to check out the Olympics, broadcast stay for the initial time, lots of purchased their to start with televisions – even however a black-and-white established took approximately a month’s income. Buoyed by the Olympic mood, quite a few snapped up other merchandise, aspiring to possess the “Three Cs” – autos, coolers (air conditioners), and color TVs.

Now, with guys living an typical of 81.3 a long time and women 87.3, the nation creaks beneath the burden of owning almost a third of its inhabitants around 65. Only 12% are under 15 and practically a third of all homes have only two persons.

AT Work

In 1964, unemployment was approximately non-existent. Males made up a broad proportion of the 47.1 million labor power, 50 percent the populace as soon as married, most ladies grew to become housewives.

Additional than 30% worked in production, creating the electronics and autos generating Japan’s name, however virtually a quarter nonetheless labored in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Now, a vast greater part do the job in products and services and 25% in producing, immediately after positions flowed to more cost-effective overseas marketplaces. Only 4% farm or fish.

Equally adult men and females perform in almost 70% of homes.

THE Financial system

In 1964, Japan was the fourth-major economic climate by GDP in the world, behind the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Just four decades afterwards, it was 2nd greatest, a place it held for decades – apart from numerous decades in the early 1970s – until finally China took its location.

Irrespective of Japan’s financial strides, nominal GDP – at 30.83 trillion yen – was only 6% of what it was much more than 50 percent a century afterwards.

The yen was preset at 360 to the greenback. Now it is all around 103.5.

THE Broader Earth

In 1964 rigid constraints about overseas journey, linked to international exchange regulations, have been lifted. Although travelers could only get $500 with them, 510,000 went overseas – a amount that surged to 20.1 million by December 2019, just ahead of the coronavirus struck. By a calendar year later, vacation experienced slowed to a trickle.

Even with the Olympics, only 270,000 foreigners frequented Japan in 1964. In 2019, there were being some 31.8 million overseas readers, their expending a important financial pillar. But figures plummeted in 2020 to a 22-calendar year lower.