ABSTRACT
When discussing social security and social welfare in Japan, one inevitably confronts the concept of the people’s ‘right to subsistence’, so prevalent is it among ordinary people and welfare specialists alike. In a sense, it highlights the determination of the Japanese people to overcome poverty. This resolve is embedded in the 1946 Constitution of Japan, Article 25 of which states:
All the people shall have the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultural living. In all spheres of life, the State shall use its endeavours for the promotion and extension of social welfare and security, and of public health.
