This archive report was first published on 5 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Tokyo's lockdown has left many self-employed workers, including exotic dancers, struggling to make ends meet.
Aya Yumiko, a 40-year-old dancer who performs under the name Aya Mermaid, has been living off her savings since March, waiting for the bars and clubs in Tokyo to reopen.
However, a decision by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to extend the state of emergency until the end of May has raised concerns that Yumiko may use up her last reserves of cash before she can get back to work.
According to Yumiko, she had enough saved up to last her for two or three months, but the prolonged lockdown has put her financial situation in jeopardy.
Despite a $1.1 trillion stimulus package, the Japanese economy is slowing, with factory output down and consumer prices in Tokyo falling for the first time in three years.
Self-employed gig workers like Yumiko, who have less access to government financial help and have already seen their income evaporate and savings dwindle, will be among the most vulnerable.
Yumiko makes as much as $3,000 a month from two performances a week, but most of that is from tips, making it difficult for her to show her usual earnings when applying for government relief.
Under Abe's stimulus package, self-employed workers can claim as much as 1 million yen ($9,355) if they can show their income has more than halved.
-Reuters, May 5, 2020
