Sweden has the some laws for handicapped or the socially
challenged. These laws can supply finer service to their citizens
than Japanese laws do to ours. Moreover, Swede thinks of this law
as natural in spite of high tax required to maintain it. There
isn't such a law and national atmosphere in Japan. This is bad
point of Japan, so we should change this atmosphere. To gain the
solution of this problem, I will answer the following two
questions.
- Why does Sweden have such a law and atmosphere?
- Doesn't the Japanese have a generous national mind like the
Swedish?
To answer these two questions, first I will discuss the
Swedish LSS law. Next, I will discuss the Swedish social
structure and national atmosphere, both of which are background
of LSS law. Finally, I will compare this to the Japanese social
structure and national atmosphere. First, let me give some
background information on the LSS law. As Melana Sjoberg
observes:
The LSS law came into force on 1st January 1994. This law
defined two states. First one is that this law gives people with
severe functional disabilities, either physical or mental, the
legal right to ten different kind of support and service. Second
one is that the municipalities must take over care for the
mentally handicapped from the county councils before 1996.
(Sjoberg 1, 2)
Let us look now at the contents of LSS law, particularly the ten services or
rights that the law grants.
- (1) Advice and personal support
- Social welfare officer, psychologist, speech therapist give
expert knowledge and what it is like to live with severe
disabilities to handicapped people entitlement
- (2) Personal assistance
- A system in which handicapped can get professional help
- (3) Escort service
- those who are entitled to personal assistance have their
assistants with them when they go to work to town, and so on
- (4) Contact person
- This is not a job, but space time activity. The contact
person is like a friend, someone about the same age and similar
interest. He or she gives advice and plays together.
- (5) Relief services in the home
- This service is one for parents who have handicapped in order
to relieve their children. This system is available at weekends
and holiday.
- (6) Short-term stays away from home
- The purpose of this service are the recreation of handicapped
and the rest of family. This system is available twenty-hours a
day Including weekends and public holidays.
- (7) Short time minding of school children over
12
- This service is performed before and after school and during
school holidays
- (8) Foster home and special housing for young
people
- On an emergency or as needed basis.
- (9) Special housing for adults
- This system services homes and shelter housing. In this
service, the most important thing is to enable people to lead an
independent lives.
- (10) Daily activities
- This system is not employment either don't have aim to earn
money by producing something. This service aims to make it easy
for participants to adapt to a 'normal' working life or sheltered
employment. (adapted from Sjoberg 2, 3)
Who will benefit from these rights? Persons with severe
disabilities and others in need.
Like the above, the Swedish government supplies close service
to the disabled. By what kind of social structure is this law
carried out? According to Malena Sjoberg, the municipalities
mainly carry out LSS law; moreover, Swedish government gives
municipalities enough financial sources to carry out LSS law (2).
Indeed, municipalities supply closer service than government to
social weak, so In Sweden the rule of municipalities is
important. Namely, the service of volunteer isn't good because
there may rise compromise, so the services of expert that earns
money from official service work (Sjoberg 3). On the other hand,
where does Swede government get financial resources for such
settled welfare? They get their financial resources from their
high tax system. Noriko Kunpa observed, Swede tax burden rate is
50 % against Swedish GNP, and the tax for goods is 25% (12-15).
By these ways, handicapped take the services. What kind of life
is theirs? One of them who uses LSS law said he could exchange
different values of person with his contact person (Sjoberg 3).
In addition, the user of the service can complain about the
service from any county council or municipality. If he or she
wants to bring a suit against the authority, he or she can do
(Sjoberg 6).
Having discussed the LSS law, I will now discuss the Swedish
allows such services. The following two causes have historically
formed their atmosphere. First one is their hard climate
condition. Sweden is located in north Europe. It is very cold. In
addition, Sweden has a small population. These facts mean that
the Swedish people need closer relationship (Kunpa 12-25). We can
read about such relationships, in the records of the 18th
century. For example, in 18-century, Swedish communities took
care of old people together. Noriko mentions the case of an old
lady who couldn't move by herself and so got care from each
family of her community. More concretely, she stayed in one
people's house in a few days, so the host family takes care of
her. After one family's care finished, another family takes care
of her for a few days, and so on. By above social mutual help
system, the Swedish society-even with a small population--can
survive through severe winter.
These are the historical explanations to the atmosphere of
Sweden. How does Swedes think about their mutual system? Most of
them have accepted their welfare system in spite of high tax. The
following way of thinking supports this attitude. Swedish people
view a handicapped not as an individual characteristic. Rather,
they think that the environment needs to be adjusted instead. In
other words, as Sjoberg notes, "it is only when environment is
not adapted to the individual's requirements that an injury or
impairment becomes a handicap" (2).
This thought makes municipalities have duty to supply enough
care and the high tax for enough care acceptable. However, some
people still have complaints. Especially, the presidents and
executives of company complain. Because they are imposed a high
tax on, they can't get enough profits in comparison with
businesses in other Europe countries. In the present, some
companies escape from the high taxation country by relocating
elsewhere in the EU (Okazawa 199-200). Furthermore, there are
some misgivings about the LSS law. Sjoberg warns that
Just when people with severe functional impairments have been
given legal rights, many community services become more
expensive. When both the country councils and municipalities have
to make savings, and unemployment is rising, It is often those
who already have some kind of problem, such as a functional
impairment, who suffer most. (2)
Sjoberg also illustrates the difference of each
municipality:
Nor do all municipalities have the knowledge required to
provide the support people need. It is especially difficult for
the small municipalities, where there are few people with severe
handicaps, to build up the necessary expertise. (6)
Even in country proud of its high-level welfare, there are new
crises.
Finally, however, the Swedish commitment is still very strong.
So I want now to compare the Japanese understanding of welfare
with comparing with Swedish one. The fixed form of family
represents Japanese idea. From the past, father is strongest in
the family in Japan, and the mother keeps the household. Although
there is relationship of neighborhood, it is more typical that
each family takes care of its own handicapped and old people.
Now, long times ago, in the Nara or Heian periods, how was
Japanese welfare? I will approach welfare of these periods by
discussing the Buddhism and Confucianism on which Japanese
atmosphere was based.
First, on Buddhism, Ikeda explains that Buddhist carries out
good movement for a Buddhist saint. In this case, the good
movement means mercy (zihi) and the target of good movement means
good field (hukuden) (Ikeda 28). That is to say, it is good
movement to care for weak people with mercy heart, and this one
become one's benefit. On the contrary, welfare, which based on
Confucianism, appears loving-kindness politics (Ikeda 20). As you
know from the above sentences, a long time ago, welfare was a
present from a person in power; moreover, the public think that
the persons in power try to benefit by their welfare.
Next, during the period of samurai, the central government of
the court noble collapsed, and strength became most important
thing. There were no governments which supply welfare, and weak
people were the obstacles to power. As a result, the family with
handicapped had to care for them by themselves by them. The
humiliation of the handicap, and the concept of family care,
emerged in this period. The practice of social welfare, the
welfare of government, did not start again until the big famine
occurred during the Edo period (Ikeda 42). However, Japanese
social welfare from this period ignored the neighborhood and
blood relative connection. So in the present, the Japanese
welfare system really doesn't function.
Actually, in the present, it is now impossible for only the
family to take care of handicapped people and old people. We need
service from both government and company. But because of the
difference of the national atmosphere and history, it is not
proper to apply Swedish law to our society. Instead, we have to
abstract some available things from official service in Sweden.
For example, we could think about the way the welfare of
government changes the welfare of local authority like Swedish
municipality's system. On the other hand, we have to also make a
new system that doesn't exist Swedish society. This new system
means also a system in which private companies help to supply
care services.
However, such a system leaves some problems, such as cost.
Recently, the new law of welfare, care and Insurance has been
approved in Japanese Lower House. This law admits that private
company can take part in the welfare market. In addition, the
authority of using welfare transfers government to local
authority. Japanese welfare is slowly changing. I cant know which
this change is good or bad. Anyway, we have to use positively the
new law and continue to think more useful way of it without
disappointment. As Sjoberg said, "Nothing happened automatically"
(3).
by Kanako Sakata
Works Cited
[Editor's note: Some of these citations may be either incomplete
or incorrect.
This is should be understood as more our fault than the
writer's. Thank you.]
Sjoberg, Malena. "Current Sweden No 402." Swedish
Institute March 1994: 1-19.
"About LSS."
http://www02.so-net.or.jp/bakama/sweden/disability/
(23-Aug-97).
Okazawa, Norio. Challenge of
Sweden. Tokyo: Iwanami Sinsyo, 1997
Kunpa, Noriko. "Is Sweden Happy Now?" Japanese
Association on Publication and Broadcasting 1991
Kinosita, Yasuzi. Welfare of Sweden and Care for Old
people. Tokyo: Keisousyobou, 1992
Ikeda, Norimasa. The way of Japanese welfare.
Tokyo: Houritubunkasya, 1994
