Abuse of People with Disabilities at the Workplace on the Rise, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Reports

From The Fukui Shimbun

September 17 2024

TOKYO – In the “2023 Status of Abuse of People with Disabilities by Employers (Business Owners, Supervisors, etc.)” published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 4th, it was found that the number of workplaces where abuse was confirmed (including overlaps) increased by 4% from the previous year to 447, and the number of people with disabilities who were abused increased by 16% to 761. The reports from prefectures to the Labor Bureau based on the Disability Abuse Prevention Act are compiled every year.

The number of workplaces where reports and notifications were made increased by 23% to 1,512, the second highest number ever. The number of people with disabilities who were the subject of reports and notifications increased by 29% to 1,854.

Both are on the rise, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare speculates that “the status of COVID-19 under the Infectious Diseases Act was changed to Class 5 in May last year, which increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and other factors have had an impact.”

More than 70% of people with disabilities who were abused were intellectually or mentally abused, and 60% were men. The most common type of abuse was economic abuse, at 80%. Of the employment statuses of people with disabilities, 60% were part-time or casual, and just under 30% were full-time employees.

Over 80% of abusers were employers, and just over 10% were direct superiors. By industry, 23% were in the “healthcare and welfare” industry, and according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, abuse was particularly prevalent in welfare-related businesses. Other industries included manufacturing at 21% and wholesale and retail at 11%.

The response of the Labor Bureau was “guidance, etc. based on labor standards laws” in just under 90% of cases, and of that, just under 30% was “guidance, etc. based on the Minimum Wage Act.”