POVERTY AND SOCIAL WELFARE IN JAPAN

Abstract

[...] these changes have made the lives of ordinary people considerably more precarious with respect to not only career and life planning but also with regard to issues of identity and sense of self. The book is an English translation of the Japanese original Hinkon to shakai teki haijo, which was published in 2005. [...] it would be helpful if updated accounts on kakusaand the working poor, which reflect the dynamic changes in the social and economic life of contemporary Japan, were available.

POVERTY AND SOCIAL WELFARE IN JAPAN. Edited by Masami Iwata and Akihiko Nishizawa. Melbourne: Transpacific Press; Portland (OR): distributed by International Specialized Book Services, 2008. xiii, 323 pp. (Tables, maps, Mus.) US$34.95, paper. ISBN 978-1-876-84381-6.

Poverty or hinkon can be considered one of the key words that reflect the reality of contemporary Japanese society. Even in Japan, ranked among the richest countries in the world, poverty is a phenomenon that is prevalent among a certain section of the population. Currendy, this is an accelerating trend. With the welfare state provisions being rolled back and neoliberal politics on the rise, the social safety net is proving inadequate for a large section of the population. In fact, these changes have made the lives of ordinary people considerably more precarious with respect to not only career and life planning but also with regard to issues of identity and sense of self.

As Masami Iwata, an editor of this book, mentions in the introductory chapter, some of the benefits related to the entire life cycle, including the costs of children's education and care of the elderly which the collective welfare state previously provided, have now become the responsibility of individuals (6) . This is resulting in an increasing casualization and contracting out of jobs, which undermines the Japanese permanent employment system and, more significandy, leads to social and economic disparities or kakusa among the population. Such changes have led to a situation where, on the one hand, some have became millionaires, living in Roppongi Hills, a highrise apartment complex in one of Tokyo's most prestigious locations, while on the other hand, some have acquired the status of the working poor, a term used to refer to people who are employed but unable to escape from poverty. In contemporary Japan, poverty is not their problem; poverty can only be understood as part of the dynamic process of exclusion and inclusion of our own society as a whole (7) . Such disparities are challenging the country's view of itself as fundamentally middle class and egalitarian.

This book directly addresses the issue of poverty in the post-World War II era by presenting a detailed policy analysis in conjunction with empirical studies documenting opinions and behaviour of the people actually living in impoverished conditions. One of the major contributions of the book to Japanese studies is its attempt to formulate a new approach that seeks to understand the current state of poverty through the perceptions reflected in the Japanese government's policies on poverty (10). The arguments presented by the ten contributors of this book are in line with this approach; they focus on how poverty was actually discovered through various policy implementations. The chapters primarily present detailed arguments on seikatsu hogo (Public Livelihood Protection Act)-the core of the postwar Japanese poverty policies and the most universally applicable form of relief to the poor-in addition to specific policy measures on health and housing. The book covers conventional groups of poor, such as the urban underclass, day labourers, homeless men, buraku people and migrant workers or newcomers. More importantly, it brings into the mainstream a hitherto ignored topic, namely, poverty among women. The book throws light on the incidence of poverty among prostitutes, single mothers and older homeless women. It also provides unique comparative accounts, presenting cases from the United Kingdom, the United States and Scandinavian countries.

The underlying concept that extends throughout the book is that of social exclusion, an idea originally put forward in France during the 1980s when France faced the emergence of long-term unemployment among the youth, a situation that the existing social security system was unable to cope with. The idea of social exclusion was later adopted by policy makers of the European Union, who intended to eradicate poverty, create an inclusive labour market, and increase the integration of the disabled, the ethnic minorities and the immigrants into the society. The Japanese government could learn some lessons from the European experiences to effectively address Japan's current poverty-related problems.

This book presents sound arguments that are supported by the many case studies gleaned through fieldwork conducted at the grassroots level. The book is an English translation of the Japanese original Hinkon to shakai teki haijo, which was published in 2005. Thus, it would be helpful if updated accounts on kakusaand the working poor, which reflect the dynamic changes in the social and economic life of contemporary Japan, were available. The comprehensive accounts presented by eminent social scientists ensure that this book constitutes foundational knowledge useful for scholars and students attempting to understand contemporaneous changes in the Japanese society.