In the Shadow of Abenomics, Japan's Poor and Elderly Are Being Left Behind

Hiroyuki Kawanishi’s tiny two-room flat in Tokyo may not be much, but it’s home. With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe trimming benefits for the poor as he increases spending on the military and cuts corporate taxes, it may not be for long.

“If the housing subsidy is cut, I’ll lose my apartment,” said Kawanishi, 42, who was born with cerebral palsy and can barely fit his wheelchair next to the single bed in his 40 square-meter (400 square-foot) flat. “I’ll have to go to a government nursing home with no freedom. There’ll be no point in living.”