**1.2 Social work in the community**

The macro perspective comes down to social work practices. In Japan, social work is majorly driven by the public sector. "Social worker" in Japan is usually a nationally qualified social worker ("Shakaifukushishi" in Japanese) or mental health and welfare worker ("Seishinhokenfukushishi") [5]. However, qualifications are not always required. Social workers are also called different names depending on the workplace, such as "life counselor" ("Seikatsusoudainin") in the eldercare facilities and "medical social worker" ("Iryo" social worker) in hospitals.
