Abstract
The objective of this paper is to investigate the validity of MIS (Minimum Income Standard) surveys in Japan. The MIS survey, which was originally developed by a research group at Loughborough University in the UK, is a method utilizing focus group interviews to define minimum acceptable living costs through 4-stage discussions conducted by ordinary people with checks by experts. We conducted a MIS survey in Mitaka City in Tokyo from 2010 to 2011. The targeted groups of this survey were working-age single men, working-age single women, and children. The cost of bringing up children was discussed by adults raising children. The monthly minimum living cost was set at 193,810 yen for a single man and 183,235 yen for a single woman. The monthly cost of raising children was 42,000 yen for a 5-year old child, 34,000 yen for a 5^<th> grader in elementary school, and 58,000 yen for a 3rd grader in junior high school. The amount of discretionary expenses (e. g., leisure costs, payments for self-development programs) determined by the MIS was more compressed than that extracted from the household expenditure survey. These results indicated that the MIS survey is a valid method for measuring minimum living costs in Japan.
