A government panel has submitted a report to Prime Minister Taro Aso calling for a sustainable society in which people enjoy the fruit of their social security benefits and feel secure about their lives. The report stresses the importance of the reliable government policy needed to build such a society by 2035. Thus adequate support must be provided in the fields of (1) employment, (2) child rearing, (3) education, (4) medical services and (5) pensions/nursing care.

It is noteworthy that the panel clearly stated that the current social security system is slanted toward helping the elderly and that it called for improving social benefits for the working population.

The panel listed 10 emergency measures that should be taken over the next three years, including a negative income tax for low-income and child-rearing households; a reduction in financial burdens for higher education; and wider social insurance coverage and improvements in working conditions for irregular workers, who account for one-third of the nation's workers. The proposal aimed at helping to stabilize the lives of irregular workers and low-income people is reasonable.