Title: Act on Partial Revision of the Public Assistance Act
Promulgation Date: December 13, 2013
Effective Date: July 1, 2014 (some parts (*) on January 1, 2014)
Act No.: 104	Responsible Division: Public Assistance Division, Social Welfare and War Victims' Relief Bureau
1. Purpose
In order to continue to earn people's trust in the public assistance system while maintaining the basic idea of ensuring public assistance to those in need, necessary measures to promote independence through employment and enhancement of measures to prevent dishonest receipts, to ensure appropriate medical assistance, shall be taken.
2. Outline
(1) Promotion of independence through employment
Benefits to promote independence from public assistance through stable employment shall be created.
(2) Support focused on health and daily lives, etc.
Recipients shall be obligated to make voluntary efforts in promoting and maintaining their health that will be the basis for independence according to their individual conditions and appropriately understand their income, expenses, and other livelihood conditions. (*)
(3) Enhancement of measures to prevent dishonest/inappropriate receipts
The periods of the special measures on the payment requirements for disability/survivors' pension and the system for granting grace period for the payment of National Pension premiums for young people shall be extended ten years.
• Investigative authority of welfare offices shall be expanded (investigation of matters concerning employment activities, etc. shall be allowed and obligations of government and municipal offices to give answers shall be created).
• Penalties shall be raised and money to be returned for dishonest receipts shall be increased.
• Money to be returned for dishonest receipts shall be offset by public assistance expenses with a prior offer by the recipients.
• If deemed necessary by welfare offices, supporters under duty shall be requested to make reports to the extent necessary
(4) Ensuring appropriate medical assistance
• With regard to the system for certifying designated medical institutions, the requirements for the designation (cancellation) shall be clarified and a system for renewal of designation shall be introduced.
• Where doctors allow the use of generic drugs, recipients shall be encouraged to use generic drugs. (*)
• Direct guidance to medical institutions by the government (Regional Bureaus of Health and Welfare) shall be enabled.

Title: Act on Support for Self-reliance of People Living in Poverty
Promulgation Date: December 13, 2013
Act No.: 105	Responsible Division: Self-reliance Support Office for People Living in Poverty, Community Welfare and Services Division, Social Welfare and War Victims' Relief Bureau
1. Purpose
Self-reliance of people living in poverty shall be promoted through implementation of self-reliance consultation support projects and the provision of benefits for securing housing for people living in poverty not yet receiving public assistance and taking measures for supporting self-reliance of other people living in poverty.
2. Outline
(1) Local governments that have established welfare offices shall implement “self-reliance consultation support projects” to provide comprehensive and continued consultation support for self-reliance of people living in poverty and provide “benefits for securing housing” (fixed-term) equivalent to house/room rent to people living in poverty who have lost housing due to job loss, etc. (Required projects)
(2) Local governments that have established welfare offices may implement the following projects. (Voluntary projects)
· “Employment preparation support projects” to provide fixed-term training necessary for employment at the stages of self-reliant daily life and self-reliant social life.
· “Temporary living support projects” to provide accommodations, food, and clothing for a specific period to people living in poverty without housing
· “Livelihood consultation support projects” to provide livelihood consultation, guidance on livelihood management, and loan arrangement, etc.
· “Educational support projects” for children of families living in poverty, and other projects necessary for promoting self-reliance of people living in poverty
(3) Prefectural governors, etc. shall provide people living in poverty with employment opportunities and shall certify business operators that implement “employment training projects” to provide training to improve knowledge and abilities necessary for employment, etc.
(4) Share of expenses
· Self-reliance consultation support projects, and benefits for securing housing: state subsidy of 3/4
· Employment preparation support projects, and temporary living support projects: state subsidy of 2/3
· Livelihood consultation support projects, educational support projects, and other projects necessary for promoting self-reliance of people living in poverty: state subsidy of 1/2
3. Effective date
April 1, 2015