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Japan Will Open August Applications for Welfare Back‑Pay

A Supreme Court ruling prompted the move to let households not currently receiving benefits file claims beginning August 1.

Overview

  • The health ministry announced on Friday that applications for additional welfare payments will open on August 1 for households that are not now receiving benefits so they can claim back pay tied to a June court ruling.
  • The policy follows a 2025 Supreme Court decision that found past cuts to welfare standards unlawful and expands earlier, municipality‑led payouts that began in March for current recipients.
  • Frozen‑food maker Nichirei has suffered a cyberattack that caused system outages and shipment delays, and the agriculture minister said the government is closely watching business efforts to resume operations to protect food supplies.
  • Police in Tochigi arrested a 42‑year‑old Tokyo man for entering the property of a student featured in a widely shared violent video after investigators say he visited to stream content, part of a broader problem of online harms and doxxing.
  • A special municipal committee in Yatsushiro heard testimony from former mayor Hiroo Nakamura, who apologized over procurement and rebuilding contracts, while cultural events and a planned foreign‑ministry trip to the Philippines continued to draw public attention.