Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Japan
Permanent residents and public assistance
Supreme Court of Japan · Japan · 2014-07-18 · National court
Citation: Heisei 24 (Gyo-Hi) No. 45
Type of case: Administrative
Outcome: Decided against the migrant side
Question
Do foreign permanent residents have a legal right to public assistance under the Public Assistance Act?
What the court decided
No. The Act covers Japanese nationals; foreigners receive assistance only as an administrative measure, not as a legal entitlement.
In plain language
An elderly Chinese woman who had lived in Japan for decades was refused welfare. The Supreme Court said foreigners have no legal right to welfare, though the government may give it voluntarily.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Seorang perempuan lanjut usia asal Tiongkok yang tinggal puluhan tahun di Jepang ditolak bantuan sosial. MA menyatakan orang asing tidak punya hak hukum atas bantuan sosial, walau pemerintah boleh memberinya secara sukarela.
Pertanyaan: Apakah penduduk tetap asing punya hak hukum atas bantuan sosial menurut UU Bantuan Publik?
What happened afterwards
- 2014-07-18: Judgment.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/jp-welfare-2014/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.