A 36-year-old Ghanaian national living in Chiba City receives dialysis three times a week for chronic kidney failure, but his application for welfare benefits was rejected on the grounds of his foreign nationality. He sued, arguing the rejection was unlawful, but the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal on the 9th, finalizing the lower courts’ rulings that the rejection was lawful. The decision was a 3-to-1 majority among the four justices, with Presiding Justice Mamoru Miura alone dissenting, arguing that ‘the provision of the Public Assistance Act limiting recipients to Japanese nationals violates the Constitution’s guarantees of the right to life and equality under the law, and is therefore invalid.’ On 5channel, voices calling it ‘just common sense that foreigners can’t get welfare’ clashed with others saying ‘this is inhumane’ or ‘just deport him,’ while users also traded information about how the man came to Japan and how his residence status changed over time.
Ghanaian Man’s Bid for Welfare Amid Serious Illness Finally Rejected — Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal, Chief Justice Dissents: “Severely Inhumane”: Tokyo Shimbun Digital
September 11, 2026, 19:03
Siaw Johnson Kwaku (36), a Ghanaian national living in Chiba City who receives dialysis for chronic kidney failure, sued after his welfare application was rejected on the grounds of his foreign nationality, arguing the rejection was unlawful. The Second Petty Bench of the Supreme Court (Presiding Justice Mamoru Miura) has decided to dismiss Johnson’s appeal, dated the 9th. This finalizes the lower courts’ rulings that the rejection was lawful.
Source: tokyo-np.co.jp / Original article here
That's not right
Hey judge, why don't YOU pay for it out of your own pocket
Seriously, seriously.
If we hand out welfare and health insurance to foreigners too freely, Japan will just get walked all over
The judiciary just can't make political calls like that, that's the thing
Or is it literally zero people?
There are — it's technically unconstitutional, but municipalities pay it out at their own discretion
This confirms that even foreign permanent residents have no 'legal right' to receive welfare.
Is this 'administrative measure' the one based on that single flimsy notice some Health Ministry bureau chief sent out ages and ages ago?
Just mark an X against every single Supreme Court justice (in the judicial review referendum) and you'll be right
[Article 25 of the Constitution of Japan]
①All people shall have the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living
It says 'ALL PEOPLE'! Foreigners aren't included!
If you let foreigners in, Japan would have to guarantee living standards for every single human being on Earth!
He's basically saying that article itself violates the Constitution
I honestly don't get that logic
He came on a medical-treatment visa —
applying for welfare ("namapo") at that point is already sketchy, isn't it?
If this gets approved, Japan falls apart
That's wrong.
He originally came on a student visa.
Came to Japan in 2015, got sick in 2019, and switched status then.
He's kind of a pitiable case, honestly.
Johnson came to Japan in 2015 on a student visa. While attending a Japanese language school in Tokyo, he worked part-time within the limits allowed under a student visa. After graduating, he quickly landed a job, had his status changed to one permitting employment, and worked full-time at a company.
However, in 2019 he developed chronic kidney failure and needed dialysis three times a week. He was let go from the company, and his status was switched to a "medical stay" visa for receiving treatment, which prohibits working.
It's sad, but 'he got sick in Japan' doesn't automatically mean Japan has to take care of him
Just because he got sick after arriving doesn't mean there's any reason he can't go back to his home country
does that mean the chief justice alone was in favor of granting it?
I don't really get it
The court rejected it 3-to-1 by majority vote,
and the one justice who got outvoted issued his personal opinion.
Note: it carries no legal force
sick people from all over the world will hide their illness, come to Japan,
and apply for welfare
If you're a developed country, you should be able to look after that much!
Background and Key Points of This Topic
On paper, the Public Assistance Act applies to “citizens,” and Supreme Court precedent has long held that payments to foreign nationals aren’t a legal right but merely a de facto measure left to administrative discretion. This ruling follows that same framework, with the majority opinion reaffirming it. Presiding Justice Miura’s dissent, meanwhile, doesn’t overturn the outcome and carries no binding force, but it drew attention as unusual for using the strong phrase “severely inhumane.” Some posts in the thread mistakenly read “a dissent was issued” as meaning welfare had been granted, but in fact the rejection is final and the dissent remains a minority view. It’s also worth noting — as commenters corrected mid-thread — that the man originally came to Japan on a student visa and was working, only losing his income after falling ill post-arrival; this was not a case of entering the country to exploit the system.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Express+) thread “Ghanaian Man’s Bid for Welfare Amid Serious Illness Finally Rejected — Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal, Chief Justice Dissents: “Severely Inhumane”.”
