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The story
In 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo G forum, an anonymous user in their 20s living on welfare started a thread titled “Ask me anything” and answered questions from other posters. The original poster explained that they hold a certificate for a developmental disorder and receive about ¥160,000 a month, but disagreement broke out over that figure and whether a “disability supplement” even exists, with replies like “there’s no such supplement” and “there’s no way you’d get ¥160,000” clashing with the poster’s account. The conversation also branched into topics like renting an apartment, getting student loan repayments waived, and views on dating and marriage, making for a candid exchange.
What people said
Full head of hair, I'm still in my 20s
Post a pic
If you can't, you're confirmed bald
No way you'd be bald in your late 20s lol
With the disability supplement, it comes to about ¥160,000
I somehow managed to graduate, but I've got student loans and my family isn't especially well-off. Working a job wasn't realistic, so I figured I'd get the disability certificate and go on welfare instead.
You can get welfare even with student loans?
There's no such thing as a supplement on welfare
I'm on welfare as an actual disabled person, so I'd know
Nice lie
There's totally a disability supplement lol
Confirmed liar
Welfare only tops your income up to the minimum cost of living, so there's no way you'd get ¥160,000
If you're getting a disability pension, your welfare payment just gets reduced by that amount
The disability supplement is more like ¥15,000
You can get it — in fact, being on welfare is even listed by some institutions as one valid reason for a loan repayment deferral
Though in my case, I got a repayment exemption due to mental illness
Anyone can get Grade 3 (the mildest tier)
I got an inheritance and live off investing
Yeah
There's an income deduction built in too
There are landlords that accept welfare recipients, so it's doable
Doesn't the social stigma bother you?
Go for the loan repayment exemption
I get to do whatever I want, as much as I want
I sleep 10 hours a day, binge games, read, work out, sometimes get laser hair removal — basically improve myself while running my social media, and every now and then dip into dating or take a trip abroad
Whoa, sounds pretty fun actually
Do you tell women you're on welfare?
You'd need to go see a doctor first, right
Just go do that much at least
Once you've had one consultation, you become eligible to apply for the certificate six months later
Huh, thanks ("sangatsu" — 5ch slang for thanks)
I just tell them straight up
Nobody cares
Doesn't that turn women off?
What era are you living in lol
If she's thinking about sending kids to college, she'd probably care though
Plenty of women these days say they don't even want kids
Background and Key Points on This Topic
Japan’s welfare system does in fact include a “disability supplement,” which adds to the minimum cost-of-living benefit based on the recipient’s physical, intellectual, or mental disability grade and the cost-of-living tier of their region. One reply in the thread flatly claimed “no such supplement exists,” but this likely overlooks differences in individual disability grades and municipal administration — the original poster’s explanation is actually closer to how the system officially works. Separately, scholarship loans from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) do have provisions for repayment exemption due to mental illness and other conditions, as well as repayment deferral while receiving welfare, so the poster’s claim of having their loan repayment exempted is plausible if they met the conditions. That said, both the qualifying criteria and the amounts involved vary by individual circumstance, so the figures in this thread shouldn’t be generalized. A common misconception among readers is treating welfare as a flat, uniform amount — in reality, the benefit varies significantly based on household composition, region, and disability grade.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “I’m on welfare, ask me anything.”
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