Starvation in Japan

I was reading an article in the New York Times, and it was about a man who left a diary of his last days in Kitakyushu, Japan. He wrote about his life as a poor man on the verge of death, and about the hard time he was having after being turned down for welfare. All he dreamed of was eating a rice ball that cost only around a $1.00. This article also talked about two other Japanese men who also died from starvation, and who were also turned down for welfare. Toshihiko Misaki, defended their system by saying that "solitary" was the reason they died. "To them, those in need are not citizens. Only those who pay taxes are citizens."
I think it is a shame for people, or the government to allow this to happen. Who has the right to decided who lives and who dies when it comes to food. We should be helping people all over the world that are starving. Putting people down when they are having a hard time should be a sin. And who ever said that they did not pay any taxes during their life time!!!