atsuko iwasaki, nhk world, tokyo. >>> most japanese consider themselves middle class. that's a tribute to the country's economic development and the relatively equal distribution of wealth, but japan's prolonged recession and unstable job market have put many families in dire economic straits. this stress is starting to take its toll on the country's children. here's how japan compares with some other eocd countries on child poverty. it shows a percentage of children who live below the poverty line. japan scored 13%, putting it in the bottom quarter of the developed world. one of the problems for children from poor families is that they don't perform well academically. these government figures compare family incomes to children's performance in standardized academic tests that shows the poorer the parents are the lower the child's scores. in response to this alarming situation, many municipalities throughout japan are working to provide academic support for children with low income backgrounds. >> reporter: this is one of the five learning centers that started in octob