Der Yani-Neko-Spiegel: Warum Japan sich nicht mit Armut beschäftigt

Good article.

While social support exists in Japan, the monetary amounts are shockingly low and it can be extremely difficult to access support.

One of my wife’s friends lives in regional Nagano, just herself and three cats. She has a very simple house that (being in regional Nagano) is worth virtually nothing.

The company where she worked shut down and she wasn’t able to find another job, so she lived off her savings and by making and selling some handicrafts.

When her savings began to run out, she finally applied for seikatsu hogo, only to have the officer reject her claim because of her furniture. Apparently, the officer considered her furniture was too nice, and said she should sell it and buy cheaper furniture first, before claiming assistance, even though second-hand furniture is worth virtually nothing.

It’s simply ludicrous. The only way she can afford to eat meat is by going hunting with a couple of friends (she then tans the hides and makes things from the leather afterwards) and yet she’s expected to sell her furniture before she can get support to help her survive.

The film that really shocked me about people who fall through the cracks in Japan is Nobody Knows by Hirokazu Koreeda. It’s been 20 years since it came out now.