As Number of Japan Dramas With “Disabled Casts” Rises, Director Produces ‘Guide’ to Aid Production

From The Mainichi Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan

March 22 2025

TOKYO – As the number of “disabled casts” in which people with disabilities play roles is on the rise, screenwriter and director Kiyomi Fujii (53) and others have created a guide to help both production and performers feel at ease during filming.

At the 2022 Academy Awards, a hearing-impaired actor won the Best Supporting Actor award for playing the role of a person with the same disability. “Disabled casts” are also on the rise in Japanese television dramas and movies.

Fujii wrote the script for the drama “Ossan no Pantsu ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka!” starring Taizo Harada, which aired in 2024. He has also written and directed many movies and plays.

About three years ago, when an entertainment production company specializing in disabled people asked him to provide guidance to performers, he felt the need for a guide and created it with the advice of five experts on welfare for the disabled.

The guide introduces the use of an “information provision sheet” that shares necessary considerations for performers. In addition to things that performers are not good at, it also advises them to write down countermeasures such as “I would like you to tell me not only verbally but also in writing 10 minutes before.”

In the production field, he stresses the importance of avoiding vague expressions such as “just do it” or “around there” and communicating clearly and concisely. He also suggests carefully explaining each step of changing clothes and moving around while watching the performer.

Inspired by Hollywood’s efforts, he recommends having eight perspectives, such as interacting with the performer on the same level, treating them according to their age, asking the performer if you don’t know how to interact with them, and knowing that disabilities are not just visible.

Assistant professor Miho Omura (51) of the University of Tsukuba says, “The eight perspectives can be used in a variety of situations, such as at school or work, regardless of whether the performer has a disability or not.”

The manual will be updated as necessary to reflect examples from production fields and can be downloaded from the website. Fujii says, “Although the number of people with disabilities being cast is increasing, the reality is that there are still people who give up on becoming an actor because of their disability. I hope that reading the manual will encourage both the production staff and the performers to think about what they can do.”