Japan Summer Vacation Budget Hits Record High

   Tokyo, July 11 (Jiji Press)--The average summer vacation budget in Japan this year rose 26.4 pct from the year before to a record 104,901 yen, according to an annual Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. survey.
   The average grew for the fourth straight year, with 18.5 pct of respondents increasing planned spending, up from 16.0 pct in the previous survey.
   Of the budget-boosting respondents, 74.9 pct said they will spend more on travel, while a rise in wages was cited as a major driving force by 27.5 pct, much higher than the 2024 survey's 13.4 pct.
   But the latest study also showed that planned cuts in summer expenses, such as for trips and homecomings, widened some 1.5-fold to average 42,112 yen amid high inflation, although the proportion of thrifty respondents dropped to 18.3 pct from 20.0 pct.
   The survey was conducted online in June, covering 1,120 men and women in their 20s to 50s, with some questions excluded.

(2025/07/11-18:01)