Toyama Prefecture released its own Well-being Indicators 

Iwate Prefecture published "Iwate Happiness White Paper 2020"

1st meeting of "Indicators of Happiness in Iwate" by Iwate Prefecture

Arakawa City, Tokyo Prefecture, published "2015 Arakawa City Citizen Survey Report on Gross Arakawa Happiness (GHA)"

Arakawa City ,Tokyo Prefecture, published "Gross Arakawa Happiness (GHA) Report" Vol.1 and Vol. 2

Local-Happiness Lab Released the Ranking of Happy Local Communities

Dentsu Psychological Lab Released Its Results of the Japanese Well-Being Index.

Over 70% of Japanese Satisfied with Life for First Time in 18 Years, Survey Says

Municipalities Across Japan Establish 'Happiness League'

The Tosa Association of Corporate Executives released the results of a questionnaire survey pertaining to an index called Gross Kochi Happiness (GKH).

Japan's Annual Number of Suicides Dips below 30,000 in 2012

Citizens in Shiga Prefecture Propose 'Smile Index' as Measure of Well-being

Report on Tentative Indicators of Well-being released by Commission on Measuring Well-Being

Prefectural Ranking of Well-being released by Hosei University

- the first study in Japan to analyze all prefectures from the viewpoint of well-being, as an alternative to an economic indicator such as GDP
- aimed to reveal the challenges facing each prefecture and suggest ways to improve local well-being

3rd meeting of "Commission on Measuring Well-Being" by Cabinet Office (Government of Japan)

2nd meeting of "Commission on Measuring Well-Being" by Cabinet Office (Government of Japan)

China becomes world's second-largest economy (Japan becomes third.)

Cabinet Office invites public opinion on proposed Happiness Index (tentative name) regarding themes including future national vision, key areas for the index, etc.

1st meeting of "Commission on Measuring Well-Being" by Cabinet Office (Government of Japan)

Document to promote "The New Growth Strategy - Blueprint for Revitalizing Japan," and research/studies on well-being included in "The New Growth Strategy" adopted June 18, 2010.

Lehman Brothers (US investment bank) goes bankrupt, triggering global financial crisis.

Subprime mortgage crisis in United States also hits financial sectors in many other countries, particularly in Europe.

Poverty and unemployment become major social issues, leading to layoffs of temporary workers ("haken-giri"), "net café refugees" as unemployed/homeless seek refuge in Internet cafés, and the "working poor."

Japan's Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) released by Future 500, calculated by a study group (T. Ohashi, K. Nakano, M. Makino, Y. Wada)

-They calculate GPI by deducting negative factors that harm human welfare such as traffic accidents, suicides, divorces as well as environmental destruction and pollution, while adding positive factors that benefit welfare, such as homekeeping, raising children, and nursing care.
- Since the 1970s, the gap between GDP and GPI has been increasing in Japan, that shows economic growth does not necessarily lead to improvement of quality of life.

Life Reform Index (LRI) by Research Committee of Quality-of-Life Policy Council (Japan)

- Indicator focuses on realizing affluence, from the people's perspective.

New lifestyles such as Slow Life and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) attract attention.

Yamaichi Securities Co., Ltd. goes out of business. Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, Ltd. goes bankrupt.

Many are surprised when nominal GDP posts negative growth.

Asian financial crisis

Employment "Ice Age"

-Non-regular employment increases (e.g., job-hoppers and temporary workers)

People's Life Indicators (PLI) by Research Committee of Quality-of-Life Policy Council (Japan)

- Indicators cover a variety of angles, such as non-monetary value, and reveal people not feeling affluent even though Japan now ranks with top countries in per capita income.
- Feature eight areas (living, spending, work, raising children, caring, enjoying, studying, communicating) and four life evaluation axes (security and safety, equity, freedom, comfort)

Economic bubble grows

New Social Indicators (NSI) by Research Committee of Quality-of-Life Policy Council (Japan)

- Indicator covers improved living standards, lifestyle diversification

Second global oil crisis

Social Indicators (SI) by Research Committee of Quality-of-Life Policy Council (Japan)

- Calls for alternatives to monetary indicators, recognizing that pollution and other problems resulted from rapid economic growth.
- Emphasis is on non-monetary indicators.

First global oil crisis

Measuring net national welfare of Japan: Report of the Net National Welfare (NNW) Measurement Committee

- Six positive items including leisure, personal durables service, and off-market activity, and three negative items including environmental pollution, environmental conservation cost. It was measured every five years from 1955 to 1970.
-Later, Economic Planning Agency (current Cabinet Office) took over the project, made improvements, and announced New Social Indicators (NSI).

Tokyo Metropolitan Government and University of Tokyo

- Classified welfare into 10 categories (income/consumption, health, living environment, labor, leisure, education, solidarity, transportation/communication, safety, natural environment). Identified 180 items from three areas (personal life, living environment, and public) to evaluate.
- Criticized supremacy of GNP.
- Suggested national and local government policies for improving the welfare standard of people's lives.
- TMG commissioned Naoki Komuro to develop a social indicator for Tokyo over three years from 1973. It adopted the Delphi method, and consists of nine welfare categories: income/consumption, housing, health, education, public safety, environment, transportation/communication, labor/leisure, and social security.

Asahi Shimbun newspaper starts publishing a series about the downside of Japan's economic growth, titled "Down with GNP" (published later as a book by Asahi Shimbun Company in 1971)

- It questions negative aspects such as pollution and social security issues as a result of the economic growth-centered ideology.
- "Down with GNP" became a buzzword of the day.

World Exposition in Osaka

Pollution problems and environmental destruction from rapid economic growth are worsening, mainly in developed countries.

Japanese becomes world's second-largest economy

Tokyo Olympic Games

Institute for Science of Labour publishes "Japan's Living Standards"

- Publication measures living standard improvements along with increased cost of living. Asks about the ideal cost of living, considering that living standards will not improve further and will stay flat if cost of living increases by more than a certain amount.

Four Big Pollution Disease cases occur in Japan

- Minamata disease: mercury poisoning
- Niigata Minamata disease: mercury poisoning
- Yokkaichi asthma: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
- Itai-itai disease: cadmium poisoning

Institute for Science of Labour publishes "Basic literature on determinants of criteria for minimum wages or social security benefits"(commissioned by Ministry of Health and Welfare, currently the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

- Attempts to evaluate "How much should be spent on living costs to live a decent life," based on health conditions and activities

Japan enjoys rapid economic growth

Cabinet Statistics Bureau (Japan) surveys household budgets (7,220 households)

-Today's government household budget surveys and consumption surveys are based on this early work.