Poverty in Japan

Yohei Ayaka

Kanako Rie

purpose

Let to know about poverty in Japan

flow

A safety net of Japan

A safety net of Japan

3 layer structure(3 層構造 )…

① 　 a safety net of employment

② 　 a safety net of social insurance

③ 　 a safety net of public assistance

a safety net of employment

• During 1990’s a long-term economic resession…

non-regular employees increase (part-time job, temporary employee, and contracted employee)

• Now…

1/3 workers is non-regular employees

a safety net of employment

non-regular employees are…. • not in a stable position

• very cheap salary

• at high risk of unemployment

to WORK dose not necessarily play a role as a safety net to live.

a safety net of social insurance

About health insurance…

• many people failed to pay insurance premium( 保険料 )

• 73% of homeless is uninsured

Many people are excluded from a safety net of social insurance.

a safety net of public assistance

= Daily life protection ” 生活保護”• Only people who are in below average

level can receive

• only 15-20% of people in below average only 15-20% can receive it.

Public assistance is no longer unworkable.

B U TB U T

conclusion

There are holes in the same position…

• Once a person who slips off from the net of employment, he will fall down to bottom.

“the slide society”

The problems caused by poverty

The problems caused by poverty

・ Some people commit a crime

・ Some people kill their parents

・ Poverty continues from generation to generation

The first example:Some of the people commit a crime.

They want to be put in prison.

They can get enough food and place to sleep there.

The second example :

　　　　 some people kill their parents

A man lost his job and he became poor.

He had to take care of his mother by himself

He couldn’t receive welfare.

He decided dye with his mother.

The last example: 　 poverty continues from generation to 　 generation

If we are not wealth we can’t have high-quality education.

If we don’t have much education we can’t get a good job.

Children who are born in poor family can easily fall down from the Safety Net.

“ 溜め”

capability

• Amartya Sen

Life that

is able to get enough nourishment( 栄養 )

has enough clothes and a place to live

→these are called “function”

capability

• Assemble of functions

　　 ・　 to accomplish a certain life

　　 ・ that one person can select

　　 ・　 a possibility what can he/she do

　　 ・　 influenced by the way of society,

not only a personal reason

• As the capability gets bigger

→there would be more worth choices

→action would be wide, flexible

→capability is an idea tied up to the flexibility of action

examples

• Mr.A: needs kindly dialysis （腎臓透析）　

• Mr.B: doesn’t need medical treatments

Mr.A has more difficulty living

→“lack of capability”

Sen’s poverty

• Lack of flexibility for living

• Have inconvenience that you can’t choose freely

溜め

• Makoto Yuasa “ 溜め” ＝ Sen “capability”

溜め（ pond ）Cushion that would absorb the shock from

the putside world

Source of power

•Material things like money

•formless things like relationships, mentality

Makoto’s poverty

• All kinds of “tame” are taken away and lost

Unemployed→NO monetary tame

→NO choice of job, conditions

Unemployed→monetary tame

→choice of job, conditions

Self responsibility

Should had other choices before beeing poor

But…

Poverty:couldn’t select other choices equally

Because…

Capability and tame are poor

What can we do?

• Tell the background and situation

→share the thought that poverty is not occurred by a personal reason

What’s　Moyai!?

・ Activity

・ Idea

My　experoence　about　Moyai

• First time, I went to this organization (Moyai party)

• What’s “Shinjyuku Renrakukai”

• I participated this activity

• What was feeling about it?

In conclusion

・ How should we improve the poverty issue?

Thank you!