The construction of “invisible” poverty
The (In)Visibility of poverty based on multiple perspectives
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19226137 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yota Watanabe (0009-0006-0760-4853, Tokyo University of Science, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-11 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1683-478X • E-ISSN: 2168-4227 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1683478x.2026.2677863 |
| OpenAlex | W7164306487 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
This paper clarifies how the “invisibility” of child poverty is constructed in contemporary Japan, focusing on how (in)visibility varies depending on the perspectives of children, support workers, schools, and welfare agencies. Since the 1990s, poverty became serious social issue in Japanese society and manifested in the rise of homeless people, a high child poverty rate, and an increasing part-time workers. On the other hand, previous studies, media reports and journalistic accounts have identified poverty in Japan as “invisible.” This paper focuses on the contradiction whereby visible poverty is rendered “invisible.” Specifically, this paper examines the gap between the “poverty” image shared in Japanese society and the actual situation, based on the author’s fieldwork conducted in Sendai, Japan. Through two cases, this paper found that children’s poverty manifests in the form of school nonattendance or physical and mental health issues. However, these are different from the “poverty” images, leading to the perception that poverty is “difficult to see.” Although child poverty in Japan is already apparent, it is difficult for others to contact these children directly. This is the situational invisibility discussed in this paper, and constitutes the actual invisibility of child poverty in contemporary Japan
Basic needs · Contemporary society · Culture of poverty · Invisibility · Perception · Poverty · Situational ethics · Welfare · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Japanese History and Culture · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
| Highly cited | No |
|---|