Japan Press Weekly

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2013 January 16 - 22 [WELFARE]

People on welfare to be forced to accept low wage jobs

An advisory panel to the welfare minister on January 16 proposed a change in the public assistance system to press needy people into jobs with bad working conditions and low pay if they are judged to be “capable of working”, leading to a rollback in employment standards which will affect the entire job market.

Based on this proposal, the ministry will submit a bill and amendments to the present system to the next ordinary session of the Diet.

The proposal makes it a requirement that applicants should take any job no matter if it is low paid and its location or job category may be inappropriate.

Under the proposal, relatives or family members of welfare applicants would be required to give reasons for their incapability of support, which the current law does not require.

In contrast to judicial precedents allowing freedom of the use of money provided to people in need, the proposal calls for a strengthening of local governments’ authority to investigate how they use the money.

A 51-year-old man living on public aid was involved in an action to seek an improvement in the program in front of the ministry building on this day. He lost his left leg and the sight of both eyes in an accident, and accordingly lost his job. He at first lived on his savings but finally applied for public assistance because he had only 2,000 yen left to live on.

He said, “When I went to the welfare office to apply for assistance, I was asked ‘Can’t you work?’ The admonishment still echoes in my ears. If I could, I would gladly be working.”