Barrier Free Japan

A total of 11.4% of disability pension applicants in Japan were denied benefits in fiscal 2025 because their disabilities did not meet eligibility criteria or because of incomplete documentation, according to Japan Pension Service statistics. Although the rate fell from a record 13.8% in fiscal 2024, concerns remain that applicants can struggle to obtain the medical records and other documentation needed to prove their eligibility, particularly when treatment dates back decades. Medical institutions are generally required to retain medical records for only five years, meaning applicants may have difficulty proving the date of their first consultation or diagnosis when older records have been disposed of. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has criticized aspects of the certification process and called for fairer disability pension assessments.

According to FY2025 disability pension statistics published by the Japan Pension Service by the 6th, the proportion of applicants denied benefits, either because the severity of their disability did not meet the criteria or due to incomplete documentation was 11.4%.

According to the corporation, the male employee in his 50s, who worked at a support facility in the prefecture, embezzled a total of over 6.7 million yen from the deposited funds of 12 residents over roughly nine years, from February 2017 to March of this year. He operated by submitting forged receipts to make it appear as though he was making authorized purchases on behalf of the residents.