Welfare exceptionalism that emphasizes the welfare functions of family, community and private enterprises has been a popular word to describe the uniqueness of welfare provision system in East Asian countries. Based on the evaluations of recent welfare reforms in Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan after the 2008 global financial crisis, this paper examines that the term is still an effective tool in explaining the characteristics of welfare provision system in East Asian societies. Even though there have been some deviations in state welfare developments in the region after the crisis, this paper argues that we can witness a clear tendency of weakening of welfare exceptionality in East Asian countries.