Japan Press Weekly

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2013 May 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

Move to destroy safety net for the needy must be blocked

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Abe Cabinet has submitted to the Diet a bill to drastically change the Livelihood Protection Law. The attempt to tear down the “safety net” working for the people’s constitutional right to live should never be permitted.

In the FY 2013 budget which was recently approved in the Diet, the government included the largest amount of cuts ever in livelihood protection expenditures. A plan to slash welfare benefits by 74 billion yen over three years will start in August, leading to reduction in payments for more than 90% of welfare benefits recipients. The annual budget package also includes a cut in the welfare budget by 45 billion yen by reducing the number of benefits recipients. To impose these plans is a harsh blow to the needy at a time when the prices of daily essentials increase one after another due to the “Abenomics” economic policy.

The submitted bill proposes that applicants for welfare benefits be required to show their bank account statements and other financial-related documents. This makes it almost impossible for homeless people and those who escaped from their spouses’ violence with only the barest necessities to apply for the public assistance program.

The bill also calls for a stronger obligation to be imposed on applicants’ family members to financially support them. In order to examine if families are capable of supporting applicants, the bill suggests that local governments be authorized to collect information regarding their incomes and properties from tax offices, banks, or even their workplaces. The requirement on relatives to support their needy family members will discourage people from applying for the public assistance they need because they do not want to burden family members.

It is urgent to develop a national joint struggle to block the adverse revision of the social security system. The livelihood protection program must be improved to protect needy citizens’ lives and health.