A comparative study of social welfare in Canada and Japan
Date
1976
Authors
Sekine, Sumie
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Abstract
It has long been argued that the processes of urbanization and industrialization have either brought about or resulted from modern social changes. Of particular importance here are changes in kinship systems, the most notable being the rise of the nuclear and the decline of the extended familial system. Given that industrialization and urbanization are also associated with a host of what have come to be called "social problems," the decline of the extended system ha s meant that these problems could no longer be dealt with in traditional ways. There are a number of things involved here.
First, and most obvious, the lack of extended kinship ties meant that there was nothing to fall back on for those whose livelihood was based solely on wage s; lack of marketable skills, sudden sickness or death could completely undermine the family's economic base. Secondly, in a nuclear family system the obligation to support aged parents tends to be no longe r observed; consequently, the old-age problem requires special consideration. Thirdly, modern labour systems, large mechanisms based on daily progressing technology, often cause accidents or new types of illness. Loss of communal ties and tension cause mental illness as well. While new kinds of illness increase, the costs of health care are getting expensive. Bad health is directly related to poverty. Fourthly, the associated increase in divorce and female employment demand the institutional care concerning children's welfare, because in a nuclear family, social problems which strike parents directly affect children also. These problems are beyond the capability of individuals to handle themselves. Hence, universal social welfare provisions are required.
In spite of the fact that Japan has advanced economically to a high level, there is a conspicuous lag in the founding of social welfare systems. Since the Meiji Restoration, in 1868, the Japanese national government has consistently followed a policy of promoting modernization in Japan, and the main emphasis has been on the economic sphere. Consequently, social welfare provisions have been neglected. This paper is a descriptive analysis of the way in which social problems were dealt with and of the recent changes towards the establishment of national-level social welfare provisions in Japan.
In Japanese society, the two fundamental social features--a filial family structure and a paternalistic occupational system--have played important roles in dealing with social problems. These characteristics of Japanese society have been so deeply rooted, even after the Second World War, that they have caused the national-level social welfare system to lag behind those of other Western industrial nations. However, it seems that there is now a general trend in Japan towards social welfare orientation. An examination of the notion of the social welfare state is required for Japan in shaping her future social welfare system. On this ground, the focus will be on the basic notion of the social welfare state. The Canadian welfare system will be used for illustration. Then the Canadian and the newly started Japanese social welfare programmes will be compared. Through comparisons in the three cardinal social welfare areas--income security, health care, and child welfare--the intent is to describe the shortcomings of the present Japanese social welfare services, as a guide to the improvement and to the development of more comprehensive systems.