Every five years the Statistics Bureau runs Japan’s census. It covers everyone in Japan, not only Japanese citizens. Beginning with this year’s census, the government has no longer made it optional. You must return your questionnaire by October 8th or you can be fined up to 500,000 yen! I understand it is important for many reasons, including resource allocation, disaster planning, public services, elections and democracy, and economic and social research.
I found my packet in my mail slot. It could be done online, but I chose to do the paper copy (with the help of google translate), filling in the ovals with a pencil. The packet included a postage paid envelope, so I mailed it right away. I would have done it anyway, but I especially didn’t want to risk being fined.
There used to be many people who refused to take part. In the past, my SIL was the official collector in our district and had a hard time getting people to 'open up'. She was often met with 'That's none of your business'. It was also difficult to reach people who lived alone and worked odd hours.
ReplyDeleteWith the responsibility to hand in the information placed on the individual, instead of a local 'volunteer' and now the threat of a hefty penalty, I hope the census is a success.
Or the authorities will be rich - 500.000 yen is a lot of money!