Basic Income in Japan:
Prospects for a Radical Idea in a Transforming Welfare State

■VANDERBORGHT Yannick & YAMAMORI Toru (Eds.) October 2014　Basic Income in Japan: Prospects for a Radical Idea in a Transforming Welfare State，Palgrave Macmillan., 275p.　ISBN-10: 113735657X　ISBN-13: 978-1137356574　[amazon]／[kinokuniya]

■Contents (From Amazon.co.jp)

Basic Income in Japan is the first collective volume in English entirely devoted to the discussion of Japan's potential for a basic income program in the context of the country's changing welfare state. Vanderborght and Yamamori bring together over a dozen contributors to provide a general overview of the scholarly debate on universal and unconditional basic income, including a foreword by Ronald Dore. Drawing on empirical data on poverty and inequality as well as normative arguments, this balanced approach to a radical idea is essential reading for the study of contemporary Japan.

Review

"Basic Income in Japan adopts a focused perspective on a broad range of contemporary issues. To those interested in basic income, it offers the possibility of renewing the terms of the debate by exploring the case of a country that has been partly left aside in previous discussions. To those who wish to understand contemporary Japan, this is a must-read, as it deals with increasing inequalities and poverty, as well as rising contradictions between labor market dynamics and the welfare system. As a whole, this is an exemplary collective work made highly coherent thanks to the leadership of two excellent editors." - Sebastien Lechevalier, Associate Professor of Japanese Economy and Society, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France

"In today's Japan, a nationwide debate on welfare reform has been triggered by proposals for a basic income, and a large number of stimulating discussions have taken place between prominent researchers and influential political actors. This collection of insightful and informative essays gives a clear overview of the debate. It is not, however, just for those with an interest in contemporary Japan and basic income. It is also of great value for anyone concerned about the future of the welfare state." - Taro Miyamoto, Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan

■Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Foreword: Basic Income and Japan　Ronald Dore

1　Introduction: Income Security and the "Right to Subsistence" in Japan　Toru Yamamori and Yannick Vanderborght

Section I　Basic Income and the Welfare State: Past and Future

2　A Comparative Look at the Feasibility of Basic Income in the Japanese Welfare State　 Yannick Vanderborght and Yuki Sekine

3　Transforming Japan's Bismarckian Welfare State: Basic Income versus Inclusive Social Insurance　Takashi Suganuma

4　Is There a Future for a Universal Cash Benefit in Japan? The Case of Kodomo Teate (Child Benefit)　Aya K. Abe

5　The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Basic Income　Toru Yamamori

6　The Future of the Public Assistance Reform in Japan: Workfare versus Basic Income?　Hayato Kobayashi

7　Beyond the Three Selection Principles of Welfare Policy (Work, Family, and Belonging): Toward a Reconsideration of the Fujin Hogo Jigyo (Women's Protection Project) in Japan　Kaori Katada

Section II　Basic Income and the Labor Market: Deconstructing the Boundaries?

8　The Impact of Basic Income on the Gendered Division of Paid Care Work　Junko Yamashita

9　Basic Income and Unpaid Care Work in Japan　Sakura Furukubo

10　Beyond the Paradigm of Labor: Everyday Activism and Unconditional Basic Income in Urban Japan　Julia Obinger

11　The Tensions between Multiculturalism and Basic Income in Japan　Fumio Iida

Section III　Realizing Basic Income: The Potential of a Radical Reform

12　What Do People Think about Basic Income in Japan?　Yoshio Itaba

13　What Needs to Be Considered When Introducing a New Welfare System: Who Supports Basic Income in Japan?　Rie Takamatsu and Toshiaki Tachibanaki

14　The Financial Feasibility of Basic Income and the Idea of a Refundable Tax Credit in Japan　Shinji Murakami

15　The Potential of Introducing Basic Income for the "New Public" in Japan: A Road to the Associational Welfare State?　Hiroya Hirano

Notes on Contributors
Index