Japan’s Transport Ministry Points Out Language Used to Refer to Disabled on Airline Website May Be Misinterpreted

From NHK

February 15 2024

TOKYO – TokiAir, an airline that began service last month, posted information on its website for passengers. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) pointed out that some expressions on the website could be misinterpreted as requiring disabled persons to be accompanied by an escort on a uniform basis. In response, the company changed the content and commented that it did not intend to discriminate.

TokiAir, an airline based at Niigata Airport that began service on March 31st, had stated on its website that “customers with intellectual and developmental disabilities must be accompanied by an escort” in the “Customers who need assistance” section.

In response, the company changed the description, and after the change, it now requires that an escort accompany the passenger in the seat next to the passenger with intellectual or developmental disabilities if the passenger is “unable to properly understand safety explanations” or “unable to perform personal tasks.”

The Law for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities prohibits businesses and other entities from treating persons with disabilities differently from persons without disabilities solely because of their disabilities, and MLIT concluded that Tokiair’s statement before the change “is not clear as to what degree of disability the passenger is required to be accompanied. It was determined that this could lead to misunderstanding”.

Tokiair states, “There was no intention to discriminate, and the change was made because the wording was incorrect. Although there were no direct inquiries to the company, we apologize if there were any passengers who hesitated to board.”