Mr. Hong, who works in Tokyo, has a deep feeling for the rise of prices locally, especially for everyday food items. A trip to the supermarket reveals astonishing increases in drinks and coffee, leading to higher living expenses. He points out that the cost of food items in supermarkets has surged again after a previous increase two months prior, expressing concerns that salary adjustments are not keeping pace with the rising prices, reflecting the voices of many local workers who note that everything is increasing except their salaries.

In Taiwan, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics released its May Consumer Price Index (CPI) showing only a 1.55% year-on-year increase, below the 2% warning line, yet food outside has continued to rise. Food prices increased by 3.09%, with meat prices up 4.8%, and outside dining costs rose by 3.5%, making diners feel that their money is stretching thinner. Professor Wu of Central University believes the current global trade relations positively impact Taiwan's prices, yet there still exist inflationary factors, primarily that rents are still increasing and the minimum wage adjustments happen annually, making the overall inflation situation in Taiwan not as serious. He also indicated that unless there are significant changes in tariffs in the coming months, the trend of rising prices is likely to slow.

In contrast, Japan's situation is different. Professor Wu points out that the CPI in Japan has been fluctuating between 3.5% and 4% for the first half of the year, leading to substantial pressure on household spending. Consequently, the Japanese government has introduced measures to alleviate inflationary pressure on the populace. Notably, during the hot summer months, for four months, Tokyo has implemented a policy to waive basic water fees for approximately 8 million households, with a budget of 37.3 billion yen, aiming to give residents more budget to operate their air conditioning.

Mr. Hong believes that this policy could result in additional 4,000 to 5,000 yen over four months, potentially allowing some people to use their air conditioning during extremely hot periods. However, he adds that if the initiative is only targeted at the elderly, who may not have a habit of using air conditioning, the effectiveness of this promotion may be limited.