Consumi familiari in Giappone, 1916-41: società rurale e urbana a confronto

This paper discusses the structure of private consumption in interwar Japan, a period marked by increasing inequality in the distribution of income. The aim is to assess whether the growth divide between the rural and urban economies matches distinctive consumption patterns in those regions of the country. After reviewing quantitative estimates of aggregate consumption, official surveys of family accounts in different social groups are examined. The analysis makes clear that, despite a lack of methodological consistency, these sources provide valuable evidence of the constraints on consumption by rural families, such as agricultural stagnation and biased taxation. The surveys also point out that subsidiary activities played an important role in maintaining the consumption level of farmers above that afforded by an agricultural income.