1.59 mil. living on welfare in Japan, up 50,000 in year

TOKYO, Feb. 4 Kyodo - About 1.59 million people were living on welfare in Japan as of November, up
nearly 50,000 from a year earlier, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said
Wednesday.
The increase is believed to be attributable to the graying of the Japanese
population and the loss of jobs and accommodation amid the recession.
The government plans to allocate nearly 2.06 trillion yen in livelihood
assistance under the fiscal 2009 budget, a record amount and up 4.7 percent
from the previous fiscal year.
But the government will have to increase the amount in a supplementary budget
if the number requiring such assistance rises, something which is seen as
inevitable as the number of people requiring assistance has so far risen in
every month of fiscal 2008.
The number of people requiring livelihood assistance has increased every year
since fiscal 1995, after the bursting of Japan's ''bubble'' economy.
Increases in the number of single-person households, low-income elderly people
and low-income fatherless families are believed to be contributing to the total
number of people requiring livelihood assistance.
The government provides welfare payments to low-income households based on
Article 25 of the Constitution, which states, ''All people shall have the right
to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living.''
==Kyodo