Seeking new strategies: Recent challenges for social work in public measures targeting poverty in Japan

Abstract

In recent years, Japan has pursued two paths to deal with the growing number of welfare recipients: ‘second safety net programs’ that pre-empt reliance on the public assistance system and ‘self-reliance programs’ for current public assistance recipients. This paper examines the effectiveness of these programs. Its findings suggest that the relationship between social work practice and the success of poverty measures should be explored further. It is necessary to develop a methodology to evaluate the efficacy of social work practices in reducing poverty and social exclusion.

Keywords:

• poverty
• public assistance
• social work
• evaluation
• Japan

Notes

^1. Although it is illegal to withhold public assistance from individuals meeting the criterion for receiving such assistance, there are reports that this does occur (Fujiyabu, 2007; Terakubo, 1988).

^2. Households receiving public assistance are classified into five types: elderly, single-mother, injured or sick, disabled, and other. Households that have become recipients of public assistance due to loss of employment are included in the ‘other’ category. In 2009, the ‘other’ accounts for only 13.5% of the households receiving public assistance. In recent years, however, both the number and share of such households are increasing (MHLW, 2012).

^3. With regard to the current work deduction, the maximum standard exemption (i.e., that which remains in the individual's pocket) in the case of level 1–region 1 (major metropolitan area) is set at 33,190 JPY (assuming a monthly income from employment of 240,000 JPY).

^4. The total number of temporary (dispatch) workers fell 42.4% from 3,989,006 in 2008 to 2,297,244 in 2009 (MHLW, 2011).

^5. Between December 2008 and March 2010, only 68,788 individuals participated in these seven programs, representing a mere 7.7% of the 893,150 program users predicted by the MHLW (Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Morning edition, 2 March 2010).