Japan Press Weekly

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2008 July 16 - 22 [POLITICS]

Fukuda’s plan to cut back expenditure on social services draws criticism

Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo’s plan to cut 220 billion yen from the government budget for fiscal 2009 is drawing criticism from a wide range of professional associations, including the Japan Medical Association (JMA) as well as local assemblies.

The policy of cutting 220 billion yen yearly was part of the “basic policy” adopted by the Koizumi Cabinet in 2006. It has since seriously devastated medical, nursing care and welfare services, and even politicians of the ruling parties are saying that there should be no further restraint on expenditures on social services.

The Japan Hospital Association has issued a statement warning that continued restraints on government expenditure for medical services will exacerbate the already critical situation surrounding medical services.

The Toyama Prefectural Assembly has adopted a unanimous resolution calling for the policy of restraining expenditure for social services to be revoked, pointing out that the last seven years have made social service more and more difficult.

In an opinion survey conducted in June by the Anti-Poverty Network, 85 percent of the respondents said they are opposed to the 220 billion yen cut.
-Akahata, July 20, 2008