Member of Japan’s House of Councillors with ALS, Yasuhiko Funago Concerned that Reasonable Accommodations in the Diet Mistaken for “giving charity from above”

Extract from The Mainichi Shimbun

March 15 2025

TOKYO –  Yasuhiko Funago (67), a member of the House of Councillors of the Reiwa Shinsengumi, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and is severely disabled, attracted a great deal of attention when he was elected for the first time in 2019. About five and a half years have passed since then, and Funago says he feels that the reasonable accommodations being promoted in the Diet for people with disabilities are being mistakenly interpreted as “giving charity from above.” What does this mean?

The Mainichi: How has the improvement of the Diet’s environment and reasonable accommodations progressed?

Funago: Both hard and soft aspects have been steadily improved. Since my election, in terms of hard aspects, ramps and elevators have been installed and renovated in the plenary session hall and the annex. A lift has been installed on the main staircase, and a new barrier-free toilet has also been built.

Reasonable considerations have also been made in terms of soft aspects for asking questions at plenary sessions and committees. These include having an assistant present, having a secretary read the question for me, and having questions answered by electronic voice on a computer. When I ask a follow-up question on the spot, I express the content of my statement with my gaze through the “dial,” but the time for questions does not decrease during that time…the first representative question session in the plenary session was held using electronic voice.

The Mainichi: Are there any issues?

Funago: One issue that has yet to be resolved is the restriction on the use of home care services for the severely disabled. Under the current Comprehensive Support Act for Persons with Disabilities, this cannot be used as a public welfare service in the context of “economic activities” such as work or commuting. After I was elected, I negotiated with the House of Councillors, and it was agreed that “the House of Councillors will pay for the expenses of my assistance while I am attending the Diet.”