JAPAN

Household Incomes, Spending Compared: Levels in Japan far exceed what they are in America and Britain, the government Management and Coordination Agency said. It put the average Japanese family income at the equivalent of $4,171 a month. It said U.S. households got by on 20% less and British families had 40% less. The agency compared 1989 figures (the latest available) from the three nations and used exchange rates of that year. The comparable monthly wages were $3,243 in the United States and $2,549 in Britain. Japanese households were the biggest spenders at $2,450 per month. Americans were spending $2,333 and British households an average of $1,864 a month, the agency said.