Commentary / World Feb 23, 2021
COVID-19 gives America a chance to fix welfare
by Noah Smith
The COVID-19 relief effort has finally helped Americans to realize that the government can just send them cash, and that this makes their life better.
National / Social Issues Jan 28, 2021
Pandemic highlights hidden poverty in wealthy Japan
by Hiroshi Hiyama
Economists say that half a million workers lost their jobs in the past six months, and campaigners say the ripple effects are spreading across the population.
Community Jan 8, 2021
Tokyo remittance firm helped stranded Vietnamese amid pandemic
by Satoshi Iizuka
Yuichiro Kimoto, president of Unidos Co., sent food to Vietnamese people in need and shouldered the rent for a shelter for people from Vietnam who lost their homes in Japan.
Social Issues Aug 2, 2020
More older single people in Japan turned away from apartment rentals
Welfare and health facilities often demand a guarantor or family member to provide security before admitting a new resident.
Community Jul 16, 2020
A Tokyo temple offers pandemic-hit Vietnamese workers a safe haven
by Sakura Murakami
Lured by higher wages but often burdened by debt to recruiters, Vietnamese are the fastest-growing group of foreign nationals in Japan.
National Aug 4, 2019
In Japan, allergies and dental problems higher among kids in families getting welfare
The proportion of children with allergies or dental problems is more than 10 times higher in families on welfare than in those not receiving benefits, a recent university study showed. Stress, house dust and a lack of supervision with no one around to guide children ...
Business / Economy May 7, 2019
Trump may redefine poverty, cutting Americans from welfare rolls
The Trump administration may alter the way it determines the national poverty threshold, putting Americans living on the margins at risk of losing access to welfare programs. The possible move would involve changing how inflation is calculated in the "official poverty measure," the White House ...
National Mar 16, 2019
The government plans to set up a task force with the aim of encouraging cities with populations of 200,000 or more to establish child counseling centers at a time when the number of consultations related to child abuse is increasing. The planned task force will ...
Business Dec 21, 2018
As social security, defense expenses continue to rise, Cabinet OKs record ¥101 trillion draft budget
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday approved a record-high ¥101.46 trillion draft budget for fiscal 2019, topping ¥100 trillion for the first time amid swelling social security and defense expenses, meaning Japan remains far from consolidating its battered fiscal health despite ...
World Sep 23, 2018
Trump administration moves to restrict immigrants who use public benefits
The Trump administration Saturday said it would propose making it harder for foreigners to come to the United States or remain there if they have received or are likely to receive public benefits such as food aid, public housing or Medicaid. The proposed regulation from ...
Business Aug 27, 2018
Macron targets French welfare spending as deficit pressure rises
French President Emmanuel Macron's government will tackle social spending in the next wave of its reforms as weaker than expected growth puts pressure on the budget deficit, the prime minister said on Sunday. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in an interview in Le Journal du ...
National May 7, 2018
More of Japan's non-Japanese are living on welfare
by Magdalena Osumi
The number of non-Japanese here relying on social welfare has grown significantly over the past decade, a labor ministry official said Monday, as the elderly in their ranks increase at a rapid pace. A monthly average of 47,058 households with at least one non-Japanese member ...