Japan panel proposals include 13.7% livelihood aid cut option

December 15, 2017

Tokyo- An advisory body to Japan's welfare ministry made on Thursday proposals on the reduction of livelihood assistance for households on welfare, including an option of cutting the aid by up to 13.7 percent.

In a report it drew up the same day, the Social Security Council subgroup also called for a review in additional aid for single parents on welfare.

The base amount of livelihood aid, given chiefly for covering food costs, has been reexamined every five years.

In the review this time, the group compared the base amount with the living standard of ordinary families in the bottom 10 percent of income levels.

As a result, aid for households with a single person aged 65 in major cities and some other families on welfare exceeded income levels of the ordinary families.

The exceeded amount was the largest for couples with two children under 18. For such households, the base amount of livelihood assistance needs to be reduced by 13.7 percent, the group said.

But if such a big reduction rate is applied as it is, some households on welfare will suffer a huge cut in the aid. To ease the impact, the ministry plans to limit the drop or reduce the assistance in stages, officials said.

Meanwhile, single parents on welfare currently receive 21,000 yen in additional aid on average per month. But the basis of this aid amount has been unclear.

The report pointed to a need for lowering the additional amount so the living standard of single parents on welfare will be at same level as that of ordinary families. Jiji Press