Between 1990 and 2005, Japan's early Heisei era saw economic stagnation and significant demographic shifts following the bubble economy's collapse, including population decline, aging, and rising single rates. This period also marked the erosion of lifetime employment, the rise of non-regular work, and a shift in consumer behavior towards cost-performance, impacting retail, dining, and domestic tourism. Crucially, the sources highlight severe female poverty, particularly among single mothers, with the sex industry sometimes providing a "one-stop" solution of work, housing, and childcare, effectively stepping in where the fragmented public social security system fails.