The government should allocate more social welfare spending toward low-income households headed by individuals in their 30s to 50s — which have significantly increased over the past two decades — and away from retirees, the welfare ministry argued in its annual white paper released Tuesday.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the percentage of households whose head is in their 30s with an annual income of less than ¥3 million increased to 17.5 percent in 2014 from 11.6 percent in 1994. Over the same period, those with a head of household in their 40s in the same income bracket increased to 16.6 percent from 11.2 percent, while those in their 50s rose to 16.7 percent from 13.3 percent, the ministry said.
"Among the core elements of income redistribution in our country are the public pension system, public nursing care system and medical insurance system, which charges the elderly less," the report said.