Non-regular workers and self-employed individuals including single-female-parent household | Impoverished LGBTQ | Internally displaced people (evacuees from Fukushima after nuclear disaster) | Migrants—technical interns, international students, undocumented migrants, long-term foreign residents, and undocumented foreigners | Adolescents and children abused in domestic settings | |
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Characteristics and vulnerabilities | • 2.6 million out of 21 million non-regular workers reluctantly took non-regular jobs due to lack of regular employment opportunities [53]. • Non-regular workers’ wage is 65% of regular workers’ wage [54]. • In 1.2 million single-female-parent household, 47% are non-regular workers or self-employed [55]. • The relative poverty rate of single-parent families is 50.8% [56]. Income of single-female-parent household is 38% of that of household with children [57]. | • LGBTQ accounts for 10% of the population aged between 20 and 60 years [58]. • A total of 5.2% of MSM web-survey respondents ever lost accommodation, 22.7% sold sex, and 56.1% worried or stressed about income or debt [59]. • Less than 40% of property owners welcome same-sex couples as tenants [60]. • Sexual minorities may face discrimination in terms of access to housing [61]. | • 30,000 people are not allowed to live in their home town in Fukushima if the area is classified as a mandatory evacuate zone as of April 2020 [62]. • A sizeable number of people voluntarily evacuated from their residential areas [63]. This number was estimated at 31,000 as of 2015 [64]. • After evacuation, non-regular workers among Fukushima evacuees increased [64], income decreased, and expenditure increased [64]. • Housing support based on the Disaster Relief Act ended in 2017, which affected more than 12,000 households [65]. • Blending into destination communities is difficult partly due to stigma and discrimination against Fukushima evacuees [66]. | • A total of 410,972 technical interns were noted as of 2019, out of which 2.1% (9,052 people) are reported to have disappeared and may be labeled as undocumented foreigners [67]. • 83,811 foreign students are studying at language schools [68], many of whom are considered cheap labor [69]. • Out of 10,000 asylum seekers per year in Japan, only 40 are accepted [70]. Immigration detention centers reported 1253 detainees as of June 2019 [71]. • 2,829,416 long-term residents, including Japanese descents [72]. • Undocumented foreigners are excluded from social protection schemes. | • 230,000 adolescents and children roam the streets at night [73]. • Physical and/or mental abuse in a domestic environment drive them away from home and out on the streets [74]. • In 2018, 160,000 adolescent and child abuse cases (up to 18 years old) were reported [75]. • The most prevalent type of abuse was psychological abuse, followed by physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse [75, 76]. • Sexual exploitation of adolescent girls who roam the streets [77]. |
Socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 | • Loss of income [78]. • Increased food expenses due to school closure [79]. | • Threatened by enforcement of revealing sexual orientation in the case of contracting the novel coronavirus [80]. | • Loss of income [78]. • Suspension of regular exchange events by evacuees [81]. | • Loss of income [82]. • Loss of resident status (Visa expiration) [83]. | • Worsened cases of child/adolescent abuse [84]. • Less opportunities for recognizing child/adolescent abuse due to school closure [85]. |
Risk of COVID-19 infections and progression | • Only 17.0% of non-regular workers are working from home compared with 27.9% of regular workers [86]. • Delay in access to medical services due to lack of health insurance [87]. | • Inevitability of going out for work. • Delay in access to medical services due to lack of health insurance [87]. | • Inevitability of going out for work. • Delay in access to medical services due to lack of health insurance [87]. | • Inevitability of going out for work. • Delay in access to medical services due to lack of health insurance [87]. • Sharing a room [88]. | • Driven to flee from child/adolescent abuse and gather in closed spaces [89]. • Sharing a room and amenities at a temporary custody facility [90]. |
Existing measures most relevant to vulnerabilities | • Unemployment benefit of employment insurance [91]. • Job applicant benefits for daily workers [92]. | • Unemployment benefit of employment insurance [91]. • Job applicant benefits for daily workers [92]. | • Unemployment benefit of employment insurance [91]. • Job applicant benefits for daily workers [92]. | • Unemployment benefit of employment insurance [91]. • Job applicant benefits for daily workers [92]. | • Act on the Partial Amendment to the Child Welfare Act and other legal measures to enhance the efforts for preventing child abuse [93]. |
Urgent measures for COVID-19 consequences and risk | • Employment adjustment subsidy [94]. • Subsidy Program for Sustaining Businesses Starts [95]. | • Employment adjustment subsidy [94]. • Subsidy Program for Sustaining Businesses Starts [95]. | • Employment adjustment subsidy [94]. • Subsidy Program for Sustaining Businesses Starts [95]. | • Employment adjustment subsidy [94]. • Flexibility in changing Visa status [96]. | • Action plan to strengthen child abuse monitoring [97]. |
Remaining challenges to address COVID-19 consequences and risks | • Supporting individuals not covered by any measures [98]. • Reducing barriers to the application of existing and urgent measures [99]. • Preventing transmission during work [100]. | • Supporting individuals not covered by any measures [98]. • Reducing barriers to the application of existing and urgent measures [99]. • Preventing transmission during work [100]. | • Supporting individuals not covered by any measures [98]. • Reducing barriers to the application of existing and urgent measures [99]. • Preventing transmission during work [100]. • Mitigating the isolation of evacuees, particularly the elderly [81]. | • Supporting individuals not covered by any measures [98]. • Reducing barriers to the application of existing and urgent measures [99]. • Preventing transmission during work [100]. • Understanding the situation and responding to the needs of undocumented foreigners | • Enhancing cooperation among schools, local governments, and child guidance centers during school closure [85]. • Developing alternative approaches to activities of existing public institutions to meet the needs of children and adolescents [77]. |