Welfare problem in Japan

Poverty is a great problem not in developing country but in developed country such as Japan.

In Japan the Livelihood Protection Law is established to ensure human right to live. Everyone who is suffering from poverty can apply for welfare to live for healthy and civilized life. However welfare system in Japan has some problems.

For example, when a man loses a job because of mental illness and hardly recover, he may apply to welfare provision. But in that time he has to dispose all of his estate including his own car. So he lose any items need in future and it make difficult to withdraw from protection.

In last decade, some miserable cases were occurred in several regions. A certain officer of local government refused to apply the welfare for an applicant. It caused fatal result. Indeed welfare cost is increasing rapidly in most local government. For attempt to hold down the deficit of official finance, they investigate the applicant very strictly. This may result in the delay of application for needed people.

Recently, discussion was happened about the issue that a woman applied for welfare was revealed to be the mother of a famous entertainer who earned much money. Some people blamed the entertainer for not caring for his mother. Some politicians claim to strengthen the duty for caring for relatives. It is certain that family bonds are essential, but what do you think if you are ordered to care for your old family forever as a legal duty?

People receiving welfare is increasing up to 3 million in Japan. How to support them is a serious problem mirroring our own future.