POOR JAPANESE HESITANT TO GET SOCIAL AID DUE TO CHECKS ON THEIR KIN

A system in which authorities phone the parents, siblings or other kin of people applying for welfare in Japan to check whether they can offer financial assistance is placing a psychological burden on applicants, causing some of them to hesitate applying for aid, a survey conducted by a group supporting the needy has found, Hiroshi Endo wrote in Japanese for Mainichi Shimbun.

Those familiar with the situation say that the system is hindering people from receiving livelihood protection payments, which are supposed to serve as their "final safety net."

The survey was conducted by Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund, a group that provided meals to people in locations across Tokyo over the New Year period and consulted them about their livelihoods. The group received responses from 165 people. Around 90% of them were men, and their average age was 56.

In the survey, 32 of the 59 people who were receiving welfare or had done so in the past, or 54.2%, said they had a feeling of hesitation when it came to receiving assistance.

When 128 people who were not receiving welfare were asked why, with multiple answers permitted, the top response was "Because I don't want my family to know about it," given by 44 people, or 34.4%.

When asked what changes would prompt them to use the system, the top answer, given by 51 people, or 39.8%, was "If my relatives didn't find out about it."

As for the system to check with kin regarding support, the various responses included,

"They're in the countryside, so my relatives will also find out about it," I don't want my own daughter to see me like this," and "I don't want to shock my elderly parents," hinting that the general pervading atmosphere was that receiving welfare was "shameful."

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