- 7人に1人も…日本の貧困率が世界4位(Zak Zak)
http://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20091020/dms0910201618009-n2.htm - 相対的貧困率の公表について(厚生労働省)
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/houdou/2009/10/h1020-3.html
Information that may be useful/benefitial for teahers of Japanese language in the U.S. (Some of the contents may rather be aginst language education, which I hope you will use to think about your counter argument.)