Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe's pledge to create a society in which struggling people can receive second chances, while being assured of a public safety net, isn't getting through to those living on assistance.
A 32-year-old Tokyo woman who declined to be named expected the safety net to help her recover from psychological disorders. But after going on welfare in December, she said, unexpected pressure has made her condition even worse.
She even had to struggle to find the sunless Tokyo apartment she moved into at the end of March, with rent low enough to be covered by the relief program, because several landlords refused to let a welfare recipient be a tenant.