Disability News Japan Podcast: Nagoya Mayor apologizes for Discriminatory Remarks by Participants Toward the Disabled in ‘Barrier-Free Castle debate’

By Barrier Free Japan

June 13 2023

NAGOYA – At a public debate held on June 3rd regarding barrier-free measures when restoring the wooden castle tower of Nagoya Castle, some participants said that an elevator that can go up to the top floor, which groups for the disabled and others are calling for, is unnecessary. Some were claiming that this was a discriminatory remark that made fun of people with disabilities. The restoration of Nagoya Castle has been debated since May 2018 when a proposal that the castle be rebuilt without an elevator – or other ‘accommodations’ for people with disabilities – prompting disability rights groups to write to Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura urging him to rethink the restoration plan.

Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2023/06/05/nagoya-castle-mayor-apologizes-for-discriminatory-remarks-by-some-participants-in-barrier-free-castle-debate-toward-people-with-disabilities/