Anticipating a Long Time to Recovery, Local Politicians with Disabilities Meet to Discuss Disabled People’s Needs After Quake

From NHK

January 15 2024

Isesaki City, Gunma Pref – A meeting of a national organization made up of local politicians with disabilities was held in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture on the 15th, and the plan was to provide extensive support to people with disabilities in anticipation of a prolonged evacuation period following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Approximately 30 people attended the meeting of the Network for Promoting Independence and Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities, including local and national parliamentarians with disabilities from all over the country.

At the beginning, after a moment of silence was offered for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, Ryohei Takeda, a member of the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly, remotely reported on the current situation and said, “In the future, people with disabilities and the elderly will not be cared for by caregivers or other people.” “More will be needed, but I don’t think Ishikawa Prefecture’s personnel will be enough,” he said, appealing for the need for human support.

In addition, an NPO that attended the meeting stated that in anticipation of a prolonged evacuation period, a local front-line headquarters was set up at a special needs school in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, to provide support and respond to the requests of people with disabilities. The network has confirmed its intention to support this initiative.

Hiroshi Murakami, a member of the Kumamoto City Council who serves as the network’s representative, said, “Some people with disabilities find it difficult to make requests for evacuation living because they don’t want to be a nuisance. I want to convey this message in a meaningful way,” he said.