AGRICULTURAL TYRE SIZES

Akihiro hopelessly shows his payment slip and his younger brother Kenji stares. The brothers are disappointed with the lack of opportunity to challenge themselves again as they lament unfairness based on social divide and financial instability.


Takahashi Brothers

Akihiro Takahashi 24 and his younger brother Kenji Takahashi 22 fire on cigarette and have a long drug as they see their payment slip for this month.

They cannot stop wondering if they just had a little bit of more money to get better life. Both of them are tired of deploring their fate anymore.

Kenji sighs and said, “We don’t know what’s around the corner about my future…”

In recent years, the accession of the number of nonpermanent employee is one of the major social issues in Japan. In fact, the number has been increasing from 18.5% to 33.4% since 2001 to 2007. The significant accession sheds light on emotional appeal of young generation who cannot be permanent employee even they want to.

Akihiro now works as a temporary staffing at mobile shop and Kenji works as a part-time worker at convenient store. Both of them are not regular employment and afraid of its financial instability

Their monthly salary doesn’t even reach 200,000 yen (?830) and only 30,000 yen is left for them to spend after putting money into family account, taxes and so on.

Akihiro says, “Our lives are difficult. We want to earn more money if we can…People say to us to find employment which offers better salary but it is so hard for us to find out… The intermediate recruitment is hard for us since we don’t have academic background.”

Kenji adds, “In this country, only new university graduates can have many options for job. What I strongly feel is there are not many chances for people like us to start over.”

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stated his commitment to make society in which people who fail can have a chance to try again.

But the number of intermediate recruitment from part-time is hard as its possibility has declined 75.8% to 57% in over five years.

The reality of employment destabilization has leaded more unfairness and disappointing for socially vulnerable people.

The life of Takahashi brothers could have been different if they went to university. But there was reason they could not continue studying.

Akihiro said, “I was one of top students at high school and I got the scholarship for university. But my parents got divorced and my father left house. I was faced to be backbone of the family... I thought I could study later then.”

However as he stared working he realized he could not afford for education. What upset him more was the contents of education supporting system by the government, which bears about 25% interest.

“How can I pay back that much of money to the government? I was so sad when I knew this country don’t even care they might destroy someone’s possibility.”

So the younger brother Kenji automatically was also faced to give up for going to university and tried to find a job to support family after he graduated from high school.

He said, “But it was not easy to find what I want to do. So all I could was just blaming my fate…Now I want to study food science to work in its field. But the school fee is crazy. Anyway if I study, I can’t have time to earn money for my family.”

The grim reality of a vicious circle confront to the brothers even though they wish to challenge new things.

Also as their misfortune followed another, his grandfather broke down by heart disease four years ago and has been confined to his bed since then.

“We put our bedridden grandfather into a nursing room. Then we got financial demands of treating him in the cost of health care.” Akihiro said.

The pension is too little to live for a month. It is not enough for them to support the grandfather.

This incident leaded more tough reality to their family. Their mother Reiko 51, who has been suffering backache for ages, was faced to work to aid family livelihood.

Now she works at supermarket as a part-time jobber for 6 days. She said, “My children don’t complain their fate anymore so I don’t whine my backache.”

But she worries its unstable livelihood and the reality her children have to give up for what they want to do for their life.

“As a mother it is hard to see how my children are suffering because I got divorced... But it is hard for me to find the proper job as well so I need their help. I am quite anxious about my children and their future,” she said.

Meanwhile the family’s big worry is the grandmother Tamiko 83.

Kenji said, “She has to go to the nursing home to look after the grandfather. But she has chronic disease on her leg and cannot walk well. I am so worried about her… I always thin if I had a car.”

“She has to walk to the bus stop and the nursing home. She gets free monthly ticket but it is still burden for her to go there everyday. But the taxi fare is not cheap. I wonder if the government offers good welfare service fo

Mom came and filled up my gas tank, and gave me some cash. Cold drinks are half price from two until five at Sonic, so I'll get two nearer to five, I think; one for right away and one for later.

Have a splitting headache and have all day. Seizured most of the night and even some today; real weak and tired today, overwhelmingly so. Bored, but I can't find the energy to write or even read. Library here, near the ranch, is packed despite it being a weekday, and so hot it's more comfortable to sit in my car with the windows down.

Mom gave me another lecture on the importance of saving money and always paying the rent first. I wish she'd stop. She doesn't mean harm, but I feel miserable enough without having more guilt added to the mix.

Think I might splurge on a burger or something later. Something cheap. I think Tuesday is half-price burger night at Sonic. Or maybe a burrito. Getting sick of crackers. And warm water. I need a cold drink. Maybe the caffeine will help clear my head.