Many needy households in Japan are considering reducing their living expenses to cover the necessary spending for their children enrolling in junior or senior high school in April, a survey has found.

The survey by nongovernmental organization Save the Children Japan was conducted in January, covering 2,135 parents and guardians of such children who have applied for financial aid offered by the organization.

The survey asked how respondents how they planned to secure enough money to pay for items necessary for their children's new school life. Multiple answers were allowed.

A total of 63.5% of parents or guardians of children starting their first year of junior high school said they will cut living expenses, while the same response was given by those of children entering high school.

"Both the central and local governments need to expand their subsidies so as to reduce (such households') burden of paying for uniforms and tablet devices necessary for students advancing" to junior and senior high school, an official at Save the Children Japan said.

Asked what expenses they planed to cut back on, 71.3% of all respondents said they would reduce the amount of food they consume, 65.4% said they would refrain from using air conditioners, and 63.2% said they would cut down on purchases of clothes and shoes for their children.

Many respondents said they were finding it especially difficult to secure money to buy school uniforms, computers and tablet devices.

In her response to the survey, the mother of a child entering junior high school in Tokyo said there are so many things households are asked to buy to prepare for the new school year, and that such items tend to be expensive.

"I feel guilty because I can't be truly happy about (my child's) entry into school," she said.