October 26, 2022

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

In a lawsuit filed by welfare recipients claiming that the government’s decision in 2013 to lower the standards of welfare assistance is illegal, the Yokohama District Court on October 19 ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered the government to cancel cuts in welfare benefits. This was the fourth court ruling among similar lawsuits being fought across Japan following the rulings of district courts in Osaka (February 2021), Kumamoto (May 2022), and Tokyo (June 2022). The Yokohama District Court ruling states that data which the government used to justify cuts in welfare payments were miscalculated and thus the Welfare Minister’s decision based on such data was wrong.

Between 2013 and 2015, the government led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo decreased the standard amount for welfare payments that cover daily expenses, such as food and utilities, by 6.5% on average, amounting to about 67 billion yen, a record-scale cutback in welfare assistance.

In court battles, the Welfare Ministry explained that the welfare benefit cut was introduced as an adjustment measure reflecting a decline in prices between 2008 and 2011. The Yokohama District Court ruling points out that the ministry introduced this measure without holding experts’ meetings including the ministry’s panel on the welfare assistance standards and that there is no need to reduce welfare benefit levels from the viewpoint of changes in prices and low-income earners’ consumption practices.

The Abe government’s welfare payment cut policy affected 96% of households on welfare. In protest against this measure, roughly 1,000 welfare recipients in 29 prefectures began court battles calling for protecting their right to live in dignity guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution. A series of plaintiffs victories came out from their tenacious efforts. Under the ongoing price surge, more and more welfare recipients have been hit hard by cuts in public assistance. The government should accept the court rulings, restore the standards of welfare benefits, and increase the amount of welfare benefits.