A Man Who Is A Horse Racing Addict On Welfare

"Yes! Go! Don't lose! Today, I'm definitely going to win and go eat yakiniku!"

"It's a photo finish! - Oguri Hat!"

"Yes! I won!"

(Today, I won 50,000 JPY! Haha! But I'll keep quiet about it to my caseworker, otherwise they'll reduce my welfare payment next month!)

My name is Tanaka Kazuo, I'm 56 years old and on welfare.

Whenever I have money, you can be sure I'm at the racecourse.

(The races are so thrilling when you're there in person! It's so immersive!)

On my way home from the races, I stopped by a yakiniku restaurant that I usually couldn't afford.

"Excuse me! Can I get an extra serving of kalbi and innards, please!"

(Ah, this is so delicious! Yakiniku is the best!)

It was three years ago that I started receiving welfare.

I was working at a construction site and slipped and fell from the second floor, fracturing my leg and landing me in the hospital.

But unbelievably, the company fired me.

According to them, they had proper safety measures in place, so the accident was my responsibility.

In other words, they claimed it was due to my negligence.

I was shocked, but I didn't have the money to sue, so I had no choice but to let it go.

I paid the hospital bills out of my own pocket and, after being discharged, rested at home for a while.

When my leg had fully healed, I started looking for a new job.

But no one was willing to hire a man in his 50s like me.

I went to over 30 interviews, but they all rejected me.

My savings ran out, and when I could no longer support myself, I applied for welfare.

Well, I lied and said that my leg hurt too much to work.

However, my perspective changed considerably once I started receiving welfare.

I now received 110,000 JPY in living expenses and 30,000 JPY in housing assistance every month.

With this money, I didn't need to work to survive, even if I couldn't afford luxuries.

There's no easier way to live. I really lucked out.

I recommend welfare to my friends, but they're all hesitant, which puzzles me. There's no more convenient system than this.

And so, on this day, after stuffing myself with yakiniku, I went home and lay down.

The next morning

I must have fallen asleep without realizing it, because when I woke up, it was morning.

But then I noticed something terrible.

My wallet was missing...

No matter where I looked, I couldn't find my wallet...

(Hmm? I had it yesterday after I finished eating yakiniku and paid the bill...)

I panicked...

Because I had put all my welfare money in my wallet and taken it to the races.

In a panic, I rushed to the yakiniku restaurant from the day before.

But the wallet wasn't there.

I even went to the police box in the neighborhood.

Maybe someone kind had turned it in.

But no one had reported finding a lost wallet.

(What should I do... It's still two weeks until my next welfare payment. How am I going to get by until then?)

No matter how much I regretted my loss, it wasn't coming back.

So, reluctantly, I turned to my caseworker for help.

"Actually, I lost my wallet with my welfare money in it, and I don't know how I'll get by for the next two weeks. Please help me..."

"I see... That's tough. Let's get the paperwork started for a re-grant right away."

"What's a re-grant?"

"Yes, a re-grant is a system that allows you to receive welfare again in case you lose your welfare payment. Didn't they explain this to you when you started receiving welfare?"

"Oh, now that you mention it, I think the person in charge said something like that..."

"Well then, let me explain."

Following the caseworker's instructions, I went to the police station to file a report of loss, and completed the necessary procedures.

A few days later, the amount of welfare money I had lost was deposited into my account.

(Thank goodness... This really saved me... But I had no idea there was such a convenient system... I thought I was doomed when I lost my wallet, but thankfully it worked out!)

To celebrate, I headed to the racecourse again.

And...

"Yes! My prediction was right! I won!"

I won again.

(I got 30,000 JPY! I'm going to eat sushi on my way home today!)

On my way home, I stopped by a sushi restaurant and ate sushi to my heart's content.

Of course, I didn't tell the caseworker about my winnings.

Because I didn't want my welfare payment to be reduced.

But aside from gambling like horse racing, is there any job where I can make money like this...

If I took on a side job, they would definitely find out...

A cunning idea

"That's it!"

I had a brilliant idea!

"I'll just say I lost my welfare money again!"

(That's right, that's an option!)

And so, I came up with the idea of fraudulently receiving welfare.

At the end of the month, I went back to the caseworker.

"I'm sorry, but I lost my wallet again. Can I reapply?"

"What? You lost your wallet again?"

"Yes... I'm so confused and don't know what to do..."

"I see... Well, let's go ahead and reapply. First, go to the police station and file a report of loss."

(Oh right, I have to report it to the police... I hope they don't find out it's a lie...)

"Um... is it possible to reapply without reporting it to the police?"

"No, that's not possible. If we did that, there would be more cases of fraud."

"Oh, okay... I understand. I'll go to the police station right away."

And so, reluctantly, I decided to go to the police station to file a report.

But when I explained the reason, the officer gave me a hard time.

"It's you again? You have to be more careful and not lose your money."

"I'm sorry, I had all my money in that wallet..."

"This is the second time, so you should really stop carrying all your money with you."

"Y-yes, I understand."

Somehow, my report was accepted, and I also received the deposit for the reapplication.

(Wow, that was scary. I was so worried they would find out I was lying... But who came up with the idea that you can't reapply without filing a report of loss? It's so troublesome! It's really annoying! They don't understand the plight of someone in my situation at all! What is this country coming to!)

I was angry at the hassle of having to reapply.

The best thing to do in this situation is to go drinking.

At the izakaya

I immediately went to my usual izakaya for a drink.

Since it was a weekday, there were very few customers.

I sat at the counter and drank with the manager, chatting about various things.

"Manager, the other day, I won 50,000 JPY at the races, but I didn't tell my caseworker. They have no idea! Isn't that amazing?"

"Mr. Tanaka, aren't you supposed to report that properly?"

"Yeah, but I don't care! And the other day, I lied and said I lost my wallet, so I reapplied and the money was deposited so easily! It was so simple to trick the police and the caseworker! I'm amazing, aren't I?"

"Mr. Tanaka, that's welfare fraud, isn't it? Are you sure that's okay?"

"It's fine! Those guys are idiots, they don't notice anything! Ahaha!"

"Why don't you stop working so hard, Manager, and just live an easy life on welfare like me?"

"No, I'm fine. I like this job... And I think welfare fraud is terrible. After all, it's everyone's tax money, isn't it?"

"Don't be so stiff, Manager!"

"I don't deny the welfare system, but I do think fraud is wrong. Isn't that just morally wrong?"

"What?! I'm the customer! There are things you should and shouldn't say to a customer, you jerk!"

Anger rose within me, and I threw my half-empty glass at the manager!

The police were called immediately, and I was arrested on the spot.

It was inevitable since I was drunk and had injured the manager by throwing a glass at his head.

After my arrest, I was eventually released after reaching a settlement, but the trouble was far from over.

The manager told the police everything that had happened during our argument, including how I hadn't reported my winnings from the races, and how I had lied about losing my wallet to reapply for welfare.

The caseworker was then contacted by the police, and my welfare payments were stopped. On top of that, I was arrested for fraud.

In the end, I was sentenced to over three years in prison.

(Why did this happen to me...?)

Three years later...

After my release, I rushed to look for a job, but due to my criminal record, I couldn't find employment and ended up living a homeless life...

These days, I spend my time checking the coin return slots and underneath vending machines around town, searching for spare change to get by.

(This is how I survive... It can't be helped...)