Increasing Poverty in Japan: Social Policy and Public Assistance Program
Increasing Poverty in Japan: Social Policy and Public Assistance Program
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1753-1411.2011.00050.x
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发表时间：
2011-06-01
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
Inaba, Miyuki
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Inaba, Miyuki
直到最近，日本的贫穷问题基本上是“看不见的”，因为贫穷率相对较低，有关贫穷的问题很少受到注意。然而，最近的金融和经济危机导致贫困率上升，不能再忽视了。2009年，政府首次公布贫困率（2007年为15.7%）时，震惊了全国。在日本，贫困问题现在被广泛讨论，而且“可见”，日本的政策制定者被迫制定和实施帮助穷人的战略。还注意到不断变化的国际和国家经济及社会条件，包括日本的人口变化，对贫穷加剧的贡献。本文旨在概述贫困状况和解决贫困问题的社会政策的性质。它特别描述了国家公共援助计划，这是一项主要的公共收入支持计划，被认为是日本穷人的“最后安全网”。最后，本文探讨了该计划面临的关键问题，并讨论了与应对急剧增加的贫困有关的挑战。
Until quite recently, the problem of poverty was largely "invisible'' in Japan, since the poverty rate was relatively low and issues surrounding poverty received little attention. However, the recent financial and economic crisis caused such an increase in the poverty rate that it could no longer be ignored. When the government announced a poverty rate for the first time in 2009 (15.7% for the year 2007), the nation was shocked. Poverty is now widely discussed and "visible'' in Japan, and Japanese policy makers have been forced to formulate and implement strategies to help the poor. The contribution of changing international and national economic and social conditions to increased poverty, including population changes in Japan, is also noted. This paper aims to provide an overview of the poverty situation and the nature of social policy that addresses poverty. It describes in particular the national public assistance program, which is a major public income-support program and is considered as the 'last safety net' available for the poor in Japan. In conclusion, the paper explores the key problems faced by the program and discusses the challenges associated with tackling a dramatic increase in poverty.