This paper considers Shigeo Okamura’s Principles of Social Welfare (1983) by discussing the logical structure of Okamura’s social welfare theory, as grounded as a “unique social welfare perspective”, and then elucidates some of the challenges to its further development. The features of Okamura’s social welfare theory may be summarized as follows: (1) a critical collaboration between “legislated” and “voluntary” models of social welfare, (2) a “unique social welfare perspective” grounded in the “basic requirements of social life” and “subjective aspects of social relations”, and (3) the principles of assistance that are derived from this “unique social welfare perspective.” To further the development of Okamura’s social welfare theory, the following questions arise. Does social welfare develop irrevocably along a single track? Can the basic requirements of social life still have any validity today? Is the assistance derived from his unique social welfare perspective effective in actual practice? What sort of challenges to social structures could render such assistance effective? By corroborating such challenges with a focus on the ordinary people’s perspectives, it will be possible to facilitate the further development and expansion of Okamura’s social welfare theory.
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