1. |
The scope of social security expenditure is
based on the ILO (International Labor Organization) standards
for international comparison.
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The ILO defines Social Security Expenditure as
all schemes or services which meet the following three criteria:
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| ( i ) |
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The objectives of the schemes must be
to grant benefits for at least one of the following risks and
needs: (1) Old age; (2) Survivor; (3) Invalidity; (4) Employment
injury; (5) Sickness and health; (6) Family; (7) Unemployment;
(8) Housing; (9) Public assistance and others. |
| ( ii ) |
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The system must have been set up by legislation which attributes specific individual rights to, or which imposes specified obligations on, a public, semi-public or autonomous body. |
| ( iii ) |
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The system should be administered by
a public, semi-public or autonomous body founded by legislation;
or by a private body which has been granted rights to perform
legal obligations.
Specifically, the schemes for employment injury compensation are
conducted by a private body as the case may be, though it should
be included in the scope of Social Security Expenditure. |
On the basis of the criteria listed above, the following schemes are
included in these statistics: social insurance (including unemployment
insurance and employment injury compensation insurance), family
allowances, special schemes for public employees, public health
service, public assistance, social welfare schemes and aid for war
victims.
- Social Security Expenditure is based on the above ILO standards and is estimated in each fiscal year budget for expenditure in each system of social security in Japan. The costs shared exclusively by the local authorities such as cities and towns for child and elderly welfare services should be included only if they match with the ILO definitions above. However, they are not necessarily included, due to lack of data from the local governments. Since 1949, the ILO has conducted 19 international inquiries on the cost of social security, and provides social security expenses data submitted by various countries in “The Cost of Social Security” on its Internet homepage.
2. |
Social Security Expenditure is divided into
“Medical care,” “Pensions”
and “Welfare & Others:”
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| ( i ) |
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“Medical care”
includes costs for medical insurance, the medical care system for latter-stage elderly, medical aid for public assistance, medical services
for Workmen's Accident Compensation Insurance, as well as costs
related to government-financed special medical services, such
as the treatment of tuberculosis and mental disorders. |
| ( ii ) |
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“Pensions” includes
payments by public pension schemes such as National Pensions and
Employee's Pension Insurance. It also includes some cash benefits
paid in the form of pensions within the scheme of gratuities for
retired public employees, and the scheme for Workmen's Accident
Compensation Insurance. |
| ( iii ) |
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“Welfare & Others”
includes expenses for social welfare services or long-term care,
public assistances other than medical services, cash benefits
for child allowance, sickness and injury cash benefits within
the health insurance schemes, leave compensation benefits paid
by the Workmen's Accident Compensation Insurance and unemployment
benefits from Employment Insurance. In addition, Long-term care
includes long-term care insurance benefits and public assistance
long-term care services, atomic bomb victim long-term care insurance
system co-payments, partial cost sharing and family-care leave
benefits. |
3. |
The functional classification of Social Security
Expenditure sums up benefits for each of the risks and needs
included in 1(i) of the above Scope of Social Security Expenditure.
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