Japanese men are bringing lunch to work as the deepest postwar recession shrinks their paychecks and pocket money.
Nine percent of men started packing "bento" (boxed lunches) this year because of the economic slump, according to an annual survey published Thursday by Shinsei Financial Co. in Tokyo. Men surveyed said they ate homemade bento, which typically contain rice, meat and vegetables, more frequently than buying food or dining out.
In a country where wives often manage family finances, married men are seeing their daily allowances cut, leaving them with less to spend on lunch. Wages fell for an 11th month in April, extending their longest losing streak in five years.