June 28, 2025
The Supreme Court on June 27 issued its first unified ruling that drastic cuts in public livelihood assistance benefits that needy people receive infringe upon their right to life guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution.
This ruling is significant as more than 1,000 people on welfare in 29 prefectures have still been fighting in court over this issue since 2014.
The ruling pointed to errors and omissions in the Welfare Ministry’s decision-making process and procedures for the “deflationary adjustment” used as a means to lower the livelihood protection standards, and found it to be in violation of the Public Assistance Act.
After the ruling, one plaintiff said, “I hope politicians will work to improve the protection standards so that no one will have to file such lawsuits again.” Lawyer Uchikawa Yoshikazu criticized the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for making a campaign pledge to reduce welfare spending by 10% in the 2012 general election. He said, “We will continue to urge the government to help welfare recipients rebuild their lives.”
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira held a press conference at the JCP head office on the same day, and said that the government should accept the top court’s ruling and bring all plaintiffs’ cases, including those currently pending, to an end.
Koike demanded that the government apologize to all plaintiffs and promptly reverse its decision to reduce their public livelihood assistance benefits. He also said that full relief measures should be provided to all recipients whose public assistance benefits have been reduced.
Past related articles:
> Welfare recipients nationwide file complaints against cuts in benefits [September 18, 2013]
> Abe seeks the largest-ever cut in public assistance payments [January 28, 2013]
This ruling is significant as more than 1,000 people on welfare in 29 prefectures have still been fighting in court over this issue since 2014.
The ruling pointed to errors and omissions in the Welfare Ministry’s decision-making process and procedures for the “deflationary adjustment” used as a means to lower the livelihood protection standards, and found it to be in violation of the Public Assistance Act.
After the ruling, one plaintiff said, “I hope politicians will work to improve the protection standards so that no one will have to file such lawsuits again.” Lawyer Uchikawa Yoshikazu criticized the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for making a campaign pledge to reduce welfare spending by 10% in the 2012 general election. He said, “We will continue to urge the government to help welfare recipients rebuild their lives.”
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira held a press conference at the JCP head office on the same day, and said that the government should accept the top court’s ruling and bring all plaintiffs’ cases, including those currently pending, to an end.
Koike demanded that the government apologize to all plaintiffs and promptly reverse its decision to reduce their public livelihood assistance benefits. He also said that full relief measures should be provided to all recipients whose public assistance benefits have been reduced.
Past related articles:
> Welfare recipients nationwide file complaints against cuts in benefits [September 18, 2013]
> Abe seeks the largest-ever cut in public assistance payments [January 28, 2013]
