Presentations
Ryotaro Takahashi
Social Science History Association 2024 Annual Meeting 2024年10月31日
Abstruct: Japan has been characterized as a familialism within the concept of a welfare regime, signifying that the responsibility for care predominantly resides within the family unit. This does not imply, however, that the notion of socializing care has been entirely absent from Japanese policy history. In the early 1970s, the introduction of social security measures, notably the free medical care for the elderly and child allowances, were pivotal. These initiatives, from a financial perspective, facilitated the provision of care for both the elderly and children, thereby harboring the potential for the socialization of care within Japan. Nevertheless, while medical care for the elderly evolved into a substantial system, the scale of the child allowance program has remained modest on an international level. That is to say, the amount of the child allowance was minimal, the duration of payment was brief, and it was subject to income restrictions. This research analyzes why these two systems diverged in scale, focusing on Policy Diffusion by "Progressive Local Governments." Progressive Local governments, notably the Tokyo Metropolitan Government under Ryokichi Minobe (Minobe Metropolitan Government), adopted these policies before the central government implemented them.Starting December 1, 1969, the Minobe Metropolitan Government introduced free medical care for the elderly and a child allowance. This led to their subsequent adoption by other progressive local governments and eventually the central government. Despite discussions on imposing a partial cost on elderly medical care and expanding the child allowance, the study examines why the scale of free medical care for the elderly expanded significantly, and the child allowance remained limited internationally. Through this examination, the study reveals the characteristics of Japan's social security system: high expenditure on health and low child allowances (family allowances), compared internationally.
Ryotaro Takahashi
Reconsidering History, Diversity, and Legitimacy of Public Finances, Fiscal States, and Social Contracts during the 20th and 21st Centuries 2023年11月30日 Seichiro Mozumi, Anna Konishi
Ryotaro Takahashi
Social Science History Association, Nov 19, 2023
Abstruct: From the 1960s to the 1990s, Japan enjoyed income equality despite having a low level of social expenditure compared to other countries. However, during the 1970s, the Japanese government attempted to introduce a "high benefit/high cost" policy to establish a Western European-style welfare state with a high level of social expenditure. Hence, focusing on an unchosen path, this study aims to understand the formation of a small and income equality-oriented government in post-war Japan through a political analysis of intergovernmental fiscal relations. This study is based on primary sources, such as the "Oral History Records of the Ministry of Finance," which are related to progressive local governments and the Ministry of Local Governments. In the 1960s, the mayors of progressive local governments received support from either one or both of the then progressive parties: the Japan Socialist Party and the Japanese Communist Party. As the number of progressive local governments increased, they began to receive media attention, particularly after Ryoichi Minobe’s election as the Governor of Tokyo in 1967. Minobe gained popularity by implementing policies aimed at achieving a high level of welfare, such as free medical care for the elderly and increased child allowance. In reaction to these policies, the central government introduced the "high benefit/high cost" concept, which was realized in 1973, the first year of the welfare era. This indicates that the policies of progressive local governments influenced the central government. However, owing to the emphasis of the Japanese government's new approach on maintaining fiscal discipline, after the oil crisis, the central government not only decreased their focus on the "high benefit/high cost" policy but also increased financial pressure on progressive local governments. Consequently, Japan's small and income equality-oriented government emerged.
髙橋涼太朗
日本財政学会第80回 2023年10月21日
Ryotaro, Takahashi
XIX World Economic History Congress 2022年7月27日
Ryotaro Takahashi
Social Science History Association 2021年11月12日
Abstruct：This study clarifies the process of forming a policy system that reduced income inequality during the period of rapid economic growth in Japan from 1960 to 1973, focusing on the policy making process of the government and the Ministry of Finance. In comparative welfare state research, the Japanese welfare state has been called an "equal" small government. Previous research has sought a reason for the employment policy as a functional equivalent of social security as a factor. However, focusing on Japan's Gini coefficient, it was on the rise in the 1950s. The inequality began to narrow in the 1960s. This study focuses on the 1960s when this disparity began to narrow, and analyzes the "Income-Doubling Plan" adopted during that period and its policies. The Income-Doubling Plan, which was approved by the Cabinet in December 1960, aimed to equalize the gap between (1) cities and regions, and (2) large and small businesses. On the other hand, the Ministry of Finance had adopted a balanced fiscal rule that did not issue public bonds due to the ceiling of the balance of payments. As such, expansive fiscal policy can conflict with fiscal discipline. Under these circumstances, priority was given to income tax cuts and public works, and social security policies were subordinated. By analyzing the above policy-making process, this study will identify the origins of Japan's "equal" small government.
In order to clarify the above, we will use primary materials such as the Ministry of Finance's "Record of the Ministry of Finance" and the National Institute of Post-war Policy Materials Study Group's "Income-Doubling Plan" document.
髙橋涼太朗, 倉地真太郎
日本地方財政学会第29回大会 2021年6月6日