Japan has recently made changes to their welfare system and
they are taking a toll on the lower socioeconomic classes. There has been at least one death in each of
the last three years in the city of Kitakyushu related to starvation. City officials had previously described the
handling of their situation as being a model for other cases. Local governments
typically think that they are doing a disservice to those they serve if they
spend the money on welfare. Potentially one of the biggest reasons for these
cases of starvation is because of the lack of thought of charity. Most soup kitchens are sponsored by Christian
organizations and the Christian population is very small in Japan. Welfare is considered shameless and one of
the Japanese officials was quoted saying of the man who passed, “He may have
starved to death, but I believe he reaped what he sowed.” There needs to be a balance between the
entitlement of welfare that cripples a society and a government that is so
frugal with their funds people are starving to death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/asia/12japan.html?pagewanted=all
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