Welfare Regime in Japan and Recent Social Security Reform

Abstract

This chapter presents the characteristics of Japan’s welfare regime and outlines trends of recent social security reform. Japan, as a welfare state, has been characterized by the low level of public welfare and emphasis placed on informal care undertaken mainly by families. However, although the number of elderly people in need of care has increased rapidly, the diversification of families, individualization, and aging populations with declining birthrate have progressed, thereby causing weakening of the welfare function of the family. As adaptation measures, a long-term care insurance system to promote the socialization of care and the marketization of service provisions have been introduced. Even so, it has swung back again to a trend in which the roles of municipalities, residents’ mutual aid, and voluntary activities are valued. The movement is called “(re-) regionalization”: a characteristic of the recent welfare regime in Japan. This movement is apparent from the fact that the country formulated a key policy, realization of “a community-based inclusive society,” in the 2010s, along with the establishment of community-based integrated care systems. Unique integrated support systems have begun to be constructed throughout Japan according to the features of the respective regions. Simultaneously, many new difficulties have emerged. Grasping the trends and actual situations represents an extreme geographical challenge.KeywordsCommunity-based inclusive societyCommunity-based integrated care systemLong-term care insuranceSocial security reformWelfare regime in Japan