Flood-hit China expands social security net as extreme rain takes toll
Buildings and roads are half submerged in floodwaters after heavy rain in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province, China, on June 24. (China Daily via Reuters)
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China has expanded the economic safeguards for segments of its population affected by flood control schemes in times of extreme rainfall, including pledges of direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses.
In China, diverting flood-waters to areas next to rivers is a major step in managing downstream flooding. As extreme rainfall grows in frequency, China is increasingly utilizing such areas, some of which have been unused until now and have been populated by farms, croplands and even residential buildings, stoking social tensions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Key MSDF patrol aircraft not up to task as corrosion ‘eating' engines
Engine malfunctions are plaguing the fleet of patrol aircraft essential to Maritime Self-Defense Force tracking of Chinese submarines and suspect ships in Japanese waters, according to the Board of Audit. The aircraft fly over the ocean at low altitudes for hours on end, making them prone to engine corrosion. The aircraft are a mainstay in Japanese efforts to monitor China's growing maritime assertiveness. The board did not divulge how many aircraft were affected in keeping with Defense Ministry protocols on security issues. The P1, the nation's first domestically made aircraft, was initially viewed as holding huge potential. It was considered to have no peer in submarine detection and tracking technology and there was talk of exporting the aircraft. But that never got off the ground. The Board of Audit study covered the 35 P1 aircraft deployed at MSDF bases across Japan as of September 2024. Primarily manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., the first P1 was deployed in 2013. It was the successor aircraft to the P3C, made by U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. The Board of Audit study said development, purchase and repair costs for the P1 through fiscal 2023 came to 1.776 trillion yen ($12.3 billion). The Defense Ministry's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency plans to eventually deploy a total of 61 P1 aircraft at a cost of 4.090 trillion yen. The agency knew early on about the engine corrosion issue, but IHI Corp., which oversaw development, said the malfunctions were coincidental. So, nothing was done to rectify the problem. Within the MSDF, flying the P1 is considered the 'mission of missions' in that it comes with a huge array of detection equipment, making the plane a joy to operate. Increased sightings of Chinese submarines and other vessels in waters around Japan resulted in many more P1 missions. The burden of operating the aircraft around the clock on a rotational basis was never envisaged in the development stage, according to a highly placed MSDF officer. All sorts of issues emerged early on. The technology used in the U.S.-made P3C was off-limits, so Japanese engineers had to basically develop the aircraft technology from scratch. And this was at a time when the defense budget was not nearly as massive as it is today, meaning not all aspects of development could be adequately dealt with. The 'stovepipe' structure that separated ministry bureaucrats from SDF uniformed officers led to a failure in sharing information during the development stage, according to a high-ranking Defense Ministry official. The Board of Audit also pointed out that issues with the onboard electronic equipment and weapons were another reason some of the aircraft were grounded. Hopes of exporting the P1 aircraft were dashed after one of a pair dispatched to the Paris Air Show in 2017 developed problems and could not take part. (This article was written by Wataru Netsu and Daisuke Yajima.)
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Public Assistance Ruling: Govt Bears Heavy Responsibility for Failing to Justify Reductions
Public assistance is an essential system for ensuring that people in need can live with peace of mind. A court ruling emphasized the need for careful consideration when changing the amount of benefits in the system. In lawsuits filed by recipients who argued that significant reductions in welfare benefits violated the Public Assistance Law, the Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the reductions were illegal and ordered cancellation of the cuts. The ruling has become finalized. Similar lawsuits have been filed in 29 district courts nationwide, and this ruling sets a precedent for those cases. The central and local governments will likely need to recalculate appropriate amounts not only for the plaintiffs in the lawsuits but also for all other recipients at the time of the cuts. The standard amounts for welfare benefits serve as a benchmark for other support programs, such as reductions and exemptions for childcare fees and national pension insurance premiums. These programs may also be affected. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced cuts of up to 10% in the standard amounts for food and utilities support welfare benefits during a period from 2013 to 2015, resulting in a total reduction of ¥67 billion. This measure was said to be to respond to the declines in prices and wages following the 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. The main point of contention in the litigations was the appropriateness of the 'deflation adjustment' reflecting the rate of price declines. The Supreme Court said that 'the revised rates in the deflation adjustment based solely on the rates of price fluctuations lacked consistency with expert knowledge,' concluding that 'the health, labor and welfare minister's judgment exceeded or abused discretion and was therefore illegal.' As for the series of the lawsuits, the cuts were ruled illegal in seven cases at the high court level. The government is considered to have broad discretionary authority, and courts generally tend to respect its judgment. In that sense, the top court's strict ruling can be described as significant. The review of public assistance was carried out after the Liberal Democratic Party included it in its campaign pledges for the 2012 House of Representatives election. Is there any suspicion that the calculations were distorted to achieve a predetermined reduction? The government should reexamine the decision-making process for the reductions and fulfill its accountability to the public. Welfare benefits in the public assistance program are received by 1.65 million households, half of which are single-person elderly households. The number of applications for welfare benefits has increased for five consecutive years, probably because more households find it difficult to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising prices. The Constitution states, 'All people shall have the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living,' and imposes on the state the duty to protect this right. Since reductions in welfare benefits directly affect people's lives, clear reasons for cuts are necessary. The government must enhance the transparency of the system. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 28, 2025)
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
LDP to discuss governance plans after Upper House election, Moriyama says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will discuss how to best run the government after next month's House of Councillors election, as arranging a partial coalition would take time, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama has said. "The most important thing is that we run the government as we listen to what each parliamentary group has to say on various issues," Moriyama said in an interview Thursday, when asked about the possibility of expanding the LDP-Komeito coalition after the July 20 Upper House election. Moriyama said that "arrangements take time" to forge a partial alliance under which the ruling camp asks opposition parties for cooperation on individual political issues. "We need to consider whether we will be able to continue such a framework," he added. During this year's ordinary parliament session, which ended on Sunday, the ruling coalition secured the passage of some bills through partial alliances. Regarding the Upper House election, Moriyama said, "We need to demonstrate honest politics at a time when the future is filled with uncertainties." Emphasizing the importance of sticking to policies that take responsibility for the future, he stated, "The focal point of the upcoming poll is whether people choose to pass burdens on to future generations or create a present with the future in mind." The LDP aims to build a strong economy with nominal gross domestic product of ¥1 quadrillion by 2040 and raise the average personal income by at least 50 pct from the current level, he said. At the same time, the party will support people's daily lives through planned cash handouts, he said. On opposition calls for a consumption tax cut, Moriyama said, "Our proposal (for the handouts) is the best option for people struggling right now." A consumption tax cut "would benefit low-income individuals less and higher earners more," Moriyama said. "Even if such a tax cut is decided in this autumn's extraordinary Diet session, the measure would not take effect until next April," he added. On his assessment of the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the LDP, Moriyama said that Ishiba has managed to steer the government although the LDP-Komeito coalition is a minority in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber. Moriyama said that the administration realized the enactment of the fiscal 2025 budget in time for the start of the fiscal year after discussions with some opposition parties on individual issues. "I think that the administration fulfilled its responsibilities to the people as it managed to reach a conclusion on each issue," he said. On the possible timing of a Cabinet reshuffle and an LDP executive roster revamp, Moriyama said, "I don't expect such shakeups to take place before the Upper House election because as we all know that is just unfeasible." He added that it will be up to Ishiba to decide when to implement reshuffles after the election.
