Some aspects of Japan's social security programs are still built on the assumption that the husband is always the breadwinner in a household and that the wife stays at home to take care of family matters.
Recently the Osaka District Court ruled that a provision in the pension program for bereaved families of local government employees is unconstitutional because it unfairly sets a minimum age for a husband to be entitled to benefits after his wife dies. The ruling has been appealed by the pension authority.
Such provisions also exist in other pension programs. They are based on an obsolete household model, and they should be reviewed and replaced with new rules that reflect the changing economic realities for families.