Local court advises settlement of Minamata-disease lawsuit ( January 23, 2010)
 Disabled and the state reach consensus on lawsuits over ‘self-support’ act (January 8, 2010)
 Mother-children households earn less than livelihood protection benefits  ( December 28, 2009)
 Child-rearing allowance extended to fathers with dependent children ( December 25, 2009)
 Rate of medical checkups drops among elderly aged 75 and older (December 21, 2009)
 Welfare ministry to propose health insurance for high school students  ( December 18, 2009)
 Citizens’ group petitions budget for protecting people’s livelihoods (December 17, 2009)
 JCP calls for relief measures for former leprosy patients ( December 17, 2009)
  Sit-in held to protest against closure of three metropolitan children’s hospitals  ( December 12, 2009)
 Law enacted to give relief to all plaintiffs in A-bomb disease lawsuits ( December 2, 2009)
 Hepatitis bill passes Lower House (November 27& December 1, 2009)
 Hatoyama urged to establish fund to relieve A-bomb sufferers ( November 27 & 28, 2009)
 Nearly one million people may be uninsured ( November 28, 2009)
 Municipalities face shortage of staff for welfare assistance ( November 25, 2009)
 Children’s deaths in childcare centers rapidly increase  ( November 21, 2009)
 Fathers with dependent children also seek child-rearing allowances ( November 19, 2009)
 DPJ accepts closure of three metropolitan children’s hospitals ( November 19, 2009)
 Government urged to make high schools tuition-free without delay ( November 19, 2009)
 JCP calls for resumption of additional benefits for elderly ( November 18, 2009)
 Medical practitioners demand three children’s hospitals open ( November 17, 2009)
 Shinfujin determined to further develop women’s movement ( November 15 and 16, 2009)
 Intractable disease patients hold rally against budget cuts ( November 15, 2009)
 Gov.intends to remove safety standards at public childcare centers ( November 13, 2009)
 35,000 people in rally urge government to protect jobs and livelihoods ( November 10, 2009)
 Minister decides to deregulate minimum standards for childcare centers ( November 5, 2009)
 Government tries to abolish welfare assistance in exchange for free tuition ( November 3, 2009)
 10,000 people with disabilities demand abolition of ‘self-support’ law ( October 31, 2009)
 Law to help hepatitis patients must be established without delay ( October 29, 2009)
 JCP Koike demands abolishment of unjust medical system for elderly  ( October 28, 2009)
 Elimination of national standards for day-care centers threatens children’s safety ( October 26, 2009)
 Health minister; new medical care schemefor elderly delayed  ( October 24, 2009)
 Rally for additional benefits for single-parent households  ( October 22, 2009)
 Japan’s poverty rate of 15.7% is highest level  ( October 20, 2009)
 Pensioners demand abolition of discriminatory system for the elderly ( October 16, 2009)
 400 billion for Olympic should be used to improve living conditions ( October 15, 2009)
 ILO report concerns pay requirement for disabled ( October 15, 2009)
 More young people become homeless ( Sunday edition, Octover 11,2009)
 Business of poverty should be eradicated - Akahata editorial (excerpts) ( October 11, 2009)
 Number of households on welfare hits record high ( October 8, 2009)
 Government hints at no longer fighting in disabled persons’ lawsuits ( September 25, 2009)
 Health minister declares to replace present law on disabled with new one ( September 20, 2009)
 Senior Citizens press to abolish discriminatory health insurance system ( September 15 & 16, 2009)
 Disabled persons’ call for ‘Self-support’ law to be repealed is increasing  ( September 7, 2009)
 Disabled sues government and demands self-support law be repealed  ( August 26, 2009 )
 Emergency measures needed to deal with H1N1 influenza  ( August 20, 2009)
 Parents and staff meet to discuss better childcare system ( July 26-28, 2009 )
 Bill to define ‘brain death as human death’ becomes law ( July 14, 2009)
 Welfare ministry to consider ways for low-income earners’ medical treatment  ( June 25, 2009 )
 Ad hoc council proposed to determin criteria for children’s brain death (June 24, 2009)
 JCP: Consensus must precede any decision to amend Organ Transplant Law ( June 19, 2009)