Japan PM Apologizes for Welfare Benefit Cuts

Tokyo, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday apologized after the Supreme Court ruled the government reductions of welfare benefits to be unlawful. At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, Takaichi said, “I’d like to deeply reflect (on the government’s response) and apologize.” It was the first government apology since the ruling was handed down in June. Also on Friday, the welfare ministry presented a plan to provide additional welfare benefit payments to plaintiffs and others. While the plaintiffs are seeking full payments to cover the welfare benefit reductions, the ministry plans to partially compensate for the cuts. The ministry will decide the amount of additional payments as early as this month, with a view to include needed costs in the next fiscal year’s budget proposal. In its plan, the ministry indicated that the threshold for receiving welfare benefits will be based on the internal affairs ministry’s national survey of family income and expenditure and on adjustments made to correct the gap between households on welfare and low-income households. The ministry plans to pay part of the welfare benefit cuts as the full amount would exceed low-income household’s consumption levels. An expert panel will discuss the amount to be paid to the plaintiffs. In its ruling, the top court said that the deflation-based adjustments, which were the basis for the benefit cuts between 2013 and 2015, had not been discussed by experts. It concluded that the benefit cuts were unlawful, saying that the welfare minister had abused discretionary powers. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]