Cutbacks in the minimum living standards -- Akahata editorial, December 2 (excerpts)

The government's Council on the Fiscal System has proposed compiling a budget for the next fiscal year that would include cutbacks in public assistance to low income households.

The proposal calls for an end to additional payments for elderly people 70 and older and for single parent families.

The proposal said that welfare assistance in guaranteeing a certain amount of income may hamper their self-help.

Article 25 of the Constitution provides that people whose income is lost or decreased due to the loss of jobs are eligible to receive welfare assistance, which helps them survive on their own.

In recent years, the number of people who live on public assistance has increased. As of last March, a record 901,590 households received the assistance. Even the government has to acknowledge that the economic recession and corporate restructuring are to blame for the rise in this number.

If the government insists that an overhaul is needed to the welfare system, the first thing it should do is to review whether the present payment can ensure recipients "the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living" (Article 25 of the Constitution). An elderly single-person family now receives 88,000 yen a month, including 17,000 yen in old-age pension.

It is unreasonable for the government to reduce the amount only to make ends meet in a national budget, without examining the situation. (end)