A nonprofit organization “WAIKI” from Lifecare Vision Co., Ltd., operates assisted living residences for the elderly. Recently, it has launched “Ikinuki cafe,” meaning stress relief cafe, in Osaka for children going through a tough time but who do...
Approximately 45,000 children in Japan are separated from their biological parents and in need of a home. Many have suffered abuse or were in poverty. The government estimates 80% of these children reside in institutional facilities for orphans...
In the past two years, COVID-19 has affected us, and the government has provided benefits to citizens in Japan. However, victims of domestic violence have been unable to receive these benefits due to the system. In many cases, the perpetrators have...
Poverty holds people back and prevents them from making the most of their lives. It blocks opportunities for individuals, families and especially children. Child poverty continues the unfortunate cycle, as many children in lower-income households...
Access to quality education is essential for a child’s development and future life opportunities. In Japan, as elsewhere, poverty can create massive education inequality and gaps in study and life outcomes for students. In the Japanese context, this...
One may not think poverty is an issue in Japan. After all, Japan’s nominal GDP is ranked third globally. It is also advanced in both medical and technological aspects and is one of the world’s top consumption centers. Yet, poverty...
From January 6, Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures entered its second lockdown due to COVID-19. The lockdown announced on this occasion is somewhat “softer” compared to the earlier one and does not include the closure of schools. Even...
Japan has one of the world’s lowest teenage pregnancy rates in the world; however, this does not mean that the country has escaped its own issues and obstacles as to what teenagers, especially women, run into when faced with the fact of caring for a...
One in seven Japanese children live in poverty today. The negative effects of this on both individual and societal level are enormous. Children in need find it difficult if not impossible to break the cycle of poverty and improve their life...
No matter how many children you have, parenthood always has its challenges. This is especially the case for single mothers in Japan, many of whom also struggle financially. The average annual income of single mothers in Japan is 2.43 million yen...