69% of people with disabilities in Japan are ‘unaware’ of assistance grants for companies where they work

Extract from The Mainichi Shimbun & Fukui Shimbun

February 19 2023

JAPAN – A survey by a private organization found that 69% of people with disabilities said they were unaware of the state subsidy paid to companies that support the assistance of disabled people in employment. The organizations say that the system is not well known and would like to ask the government to make it known in order to promote the system.

The survey was conducted in December last year by the non-profit organisation Information Gap Buster. The survey asked whether people with disabilities had heard of the ‘Subsidy for Assistance to Persons with Disabilities’, and 195 people with disabilities responded. The government subsidises part of the costs of companies that assign carers and sign language interpreters and transcriptionists to assist people with disabilities. 31% said they were aware of the subsidies, while 69% said they were not aware of the subsidies.