Recent Refusal of disabled man from boarding a bus in Kawasaki Echoes Cause of 1977 ‘Kawasaki bus struggle’

Extract from The Mainichi

September 2 2024

KAWASAKI – After the Kawasaki City Bus driver refused to let the 53-year-old man board, he lodged a complaint that he had been denied service despite the city’s transportation bureau accepting the use of the “Mirairo ID” app, which is used in lieu of paper certification. The Kawasaki Municipal Government has apologized to the man, saying that it was “a lack of awareness on the part of the driver.”

On the afternoon of Aug. 26, the man attempted to board a bus in front of Kawasaki Station to get to his site of work as a home tutor. The driver told him he needed to use a disability certificate, and even covered the fare box with his hand when the man explained that he should be able to use the app.

Since other passengers were waiting to board, the man decided to give up and wait for a bus driven by a different driver, which he then took to get to his workplace.

In 1977, large-scale protests were held over the public bus operator’s refusal to allow people in wheelchairs with cerebral palsy to board, which became known as the “Kawasaki bus struggle.” This became an impetus for the progression of rights for those with disabilities. However, in 2021 a wheelchair user was refused boarding by a driver, resulting the following August in the transportation ministry slapping the city with a 30-day suspension from operating the bus, showing that problems have continued to occur in recent years.