http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070713TDY02002.htm

Man told to 'get a job' found dead at home

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The body of a 52-year-old man who withdrew his application for welfare benefits after being instructed by a municipal government official to find a job was discovered Tuesday in Kokura-kita Ward, Kitakyushu, it has been learned.

According to sources, the man had been receiving a benefit since late 2006, but applied to have it stopped after the Kitakyushu municipal government official told him to find a job.

The man left a diary containing entries outlining his dissatisfaction with the government's response. "The official told me to work, but I can't work," he wrote, "I just want to eat a rice ball."

A senior government official said, "Our response to the situation was appropriate."
(Jul. 13, 2007)