Research on the cause of household economy breakdown and an aid policy of reconstruction for overspending debtors' life

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14580112
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 家政学一般(含衣・住環境)
• Research Institution: Yokohama National University
• Principal Investigator: NISHIMURA Takao Yokohama National University, Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, Professor, 教育人間科学部, 教授 (40242375)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2004
• Keywords: overspending debtor / household rebuild / consumer bankruptcy / debtors education / consumer education / credit counseling

Research Abstract

Recently in Japan, the indebtedness of a household economy progresses quickly, and the payment for consumer credit occupies 1/4 or more of a household expenditure. Under long depression, personal bankruptcy came to exceed 240,000 people in 2003. However, there are also many people by whom the improvement of a life at large is not found even if it goes bankrupt, and both support of a household economy improvement and mental support are needed.
On this problem, I investigated the situation of consumer bankruptcy, the credit counseling for debtor, and the debtors education in the United States. In the United States, abuse of consumer bankruptcy poses a problem, the policy for recommending life reconstruction through counseling or education was worked on. Finally revision of federal bankruptcy law passed the Parliament this year.
I proposed four measures which are probably needed in Japan trough this US survey.
1)Improve the easy access window of consultation for debtors
2)A system improvement is made so that it may be easy to use immediately required petty loan under a viewpoint of social welfare.
3)Train assisted living advisers and arrange them all over the country.
4)Promote the money management education from early childhood to young age.