The Sapporo District Court handed down a court ruling requesting that the beneficiaries in Hokkaido violate the constitution that guarantees a minimum standard of living over the gradual reduction of the standard amount of welfare expenses. I will.

In a similar court ruling, the Osaka District Court canceled the reduction in February, and the court's decision is noteworthy.

From 2013 to 2015, the national government reduced the standard amount of living expenses such as food expenses and utilities expenses by up to 10%, reflecting the decline in prices.



About 130 beneficiaries in Hokkaido filed a proceeding to revoke the reduction made by the local government, saying that it "violates the constitution that guarantees a minimum standard of living."



At the trial, the issue was whether there was a problem with the method or procedure for the government to calculate the standard amount, and the plaintiffs alleged that arbitrary measures were taken to increase the amount of reduction.



On the other hand, the local government argues that the calculation method is a policy decision according to the purpose and that there was no problem within the discretion of the country, and demands that the complaint be dismissed.



The decision of this trial will be handed down at the Sapporo District Court at 2:00 pm on the 29th.



According to the plaintiffs' defense team, this is the third case in a similar class action proceeding nationwide.

Trial Two major issues

At the trial, there were two major issues over whether there was a problem with the method or procedure for the country to calculate the standard amount.



(1) Calculation of the rate of price decline The


first is the method of calculating the rate of price decline that was taken into consideration when deciding to reduce prices.



The plaintiffs calculated from 2008, when prices were particularly high, and as a result, the rate of decline increased, and the products considered in the calculation also included home appliances such as personal computers and televisions, whose prices dropped significantly. He argued that arbitrary measures were taken to increase the rate of decline.



The defendant's local government argued that the numerical value used for the calculation was a policy decision according to the purpose and was within the discretion of the state.



(2) Consultation with experts The


second issue is the procedure that was decided without consulting with a subcommittee of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which is made up of experts, to reflect the rate of price decline.



The plaintiffs alleged that there was a problem with the procedure that was reflected without consulting the subcommittee.



Municipalities argued that it was not legally necessary to consult the subcommittee and that there was no problem.

Judgment of the issue is divided in other trials

These points are also in dispute in similar class action proceedings nationwide.



The Nagoya District Court in June last year, which dismissed the complaint, said, "It cannot be said that there was an error in the judgment and procedures of the country," but the Osaka District Court, which canceled the reduction in February, said, "Prices rose in 2008. It is clear that the rate of decline will increase because we started the period of looking at price fluctuations. It is illegal because there are mistakes in the judgments and procedures of the country. "

Plaintiff "The weak are said to die early"

Shoji Goto (83), who lives in Sapporo, is the leader of the plaintiffs in this class action proceeding.



17 years ago, Mr. Goto was found to have cancer in his large intestine and was repeatedly hospitalized and discharged, so he was dismissed from the civil engineering company he had worked for.

After that, although my condition had subsided, I couldn't get a new job and received welfare protection.



The amount of payment so far varies depending on the season, but it ranges from 55,000 yen to 75,000 yen per month.

I managed to manage my living expenses by using the pension of my wife Kyoko (79).



However, since 2013, the monthly payment amount has been reduced by 5,000 yen.



Now, in order to cut down on food expenses as much as possible and save on utility bills, I only take a bath once a week in winter.



What more can I save?

Mr. Goto says that it is a daily problem that bothers his head.



"The only thing you can save is food expenses. This is like saying,'The weak die early.' I don't want you to increase your welfare expenses, but at least I want you to return to the original amount. That's it. "