This study aims to understand the social welfare policy for the disabled which
Japanese government actually pursues, by analyzing the formation of 『Welfare
Services Department's Proposal(Framework Proposal) of the Framework of the
Disabled Person Welfare Act』 proposed by the Welfare Services Department of
the Disabled Person System Reformation Bureau of Japan in August 30th, 2011
for enacting a new law(Disabled Person Welfare Act), from the perspective of the
tripartite theory, which is one of social welfare policy theories, and clarifying the
formation process, and comparing with the Disabled Person Support Act.
As a research method, the tripartite theory presents three components of
social welfare policy; (1) Social problem, (2) Subjects of policy, and (3)
Social movement, and this is to study the process in which the subjects,
the contents, and the level of social welfare are determined by the relation
of ternary structure in social welfare policy.
As a result, the Disabled Person Independence Support Act caused a problem
with disabled people's right to live as a social problem, and the national movement
and lawsuit of the disabled occurred as social movements.
Thus, the government promised with disabled people to abolish the Disabled
Person Independence Support Act, and founded an organization for concluding a
basic agreement and enacting a new law.
The framework proposal made after the one and one-half-year discussion
was not reflected in the new law, and the Disabled Person Support Act
enacted was merely a partial revision of the Disabled Person Independence
Support Act.
This Japanese Disabled Person Welfare Policy shows that Japanese government's political intention to control public finances for the Disabled Person Independence
Support Act and maintain the system for an integration with long-term care
insurance has continued.