Learning from Germany: Minimum standard of living: To consider what a "healthy and cultural minimum standard of living" should be in Japan

Currently in Japan, lawsuits regarding "the minimum standard of wholesome and cultured living" in Article 25 of the Constitution are being filed and are ongoing all over the country. This lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs who were recipients of welfare benefits whose benefits had been reduced due to the government's "lowering of welfare standards." The current outcome is an unusually high rate of victory for plaintiffs in administrative litigation (18 out of 28 judgments issued by district courts and high courts have been in favor of plaintiffs as of September 1, 2024), and the outcome of the trial in the future is attracting attention.
Meanwhile, in Germany, reforms to the "social assistance" system, which is equivalent to Japan's public assistance system, were carried out in the early 2000s. However, since 2010, the Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the resulting reductions in benefit levels are unconstitutional. In light of the current problematic situation in Japan, some interesting developments are already underway.
We recently had the opportunity to have Professor Alexander Graser, an expert on this topic, visit us in Nagoya. Therefore, we would like to take this valuable opportunity to learn from the situation in Germany and think about what guarantees a "minimum standard of living" worthy of human dignity are, and what challenges lie in achieving this.

The overall program is roughly as follows:

1. Lecture (40 minutes lecture by Professor Graser, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A)
   • *The lecture will be given in English, and participants will be given handouts translated into Japanese. The question and answer session after the lecture will be conducted through an interpreter.
2. Talk session with Professor Graser (30 minutes*)
   • *After Professor Graser's lecture, the discussants will introduce the current situation and main issues in the lawsuits regarding the "reduction of public assistance standards" in Japan, presenting key points of contention and deepening the discussion.