Japan Press Weekly

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2016 July 20 - 26 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Eating habits and social life of people on welfare becoming poorer

A nationwide organization working for the betterment of the public assistance system held a panel discussion on July 18 in Tokyo on the theme of “healthy and cultured living”.

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Tamura Tomoko attended this event and conveyed her greetings to the audience. The deputy parliamentary affairs chief of the Democratic Party and the co-head of the People’s Life Party respectively sent a message of solidarity to the gathering.

Lawyer Kokubo Tetsuro, the organization’s secretary general, reported that the Abe government has been cutting livelihood protection benefit payments to needy people in stages since 2013. He warned, “There is a high possibility that the government may again reduce welfare assistance in fiscal 2018.”

Yamada Soshiro, an associate professor at Nihon Fukushi University, cited data showing the impact of reduced welfare benefits on people receiving public assistance and said, “The cut in welfare seems to have negative effects on these people in terms of their day-to-day living such as eating patterns, socializing with neighbors, and participating in social activities. They have become worse off.”

A woman on welfare said that she is feeling very anxious about her life because her eating disorder costs a lot for food, which makes her stop going to hospital for therapy and harms her relationships.

Lawyer Bito Hiroki, representing the organization, emphasized the need to increase movements demanding the improvement of social security as a fundamental human right and called on the audience to strengthen solidarity beyond the boundary of political affiliations.

Past related article:
> Abe’s welfare policies drive the needy to death [June 10, 2016]