Amidst Controversy Over Book Depicting Neurodivergent People as Animals, Publisher Changes Author’s Credentials

By Barrier Free Japan, extract from The Mainichi Shimbun

April 27 2025

TOKYO – The publisher of the book “Psychological techniques to motivate ‘difficult people’ at work” published by Mikasa Shobo, was flooded with criticism on social media before its release because it depicted people with developmental disorders as “difficult people at work” using illustrations of animals, has revised the author’s title. It was released on mail-order sites and other sites on April 24th.

Criticism erupted over this book after the author, Yuko Kanda, posted a sample of the book on X (Twitter) on the 12th. The cover and table of contents describe people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as “difficult people” at work, and use illustrations of animals such as sloths. A group of people with developmental disorders has issued a statement of protest, claiming that the book “contains discriminatory language.” A petition has also been launched to stop the book’s release.

In the pre-release book that the Mainichi Shimbun obtained by the 18th, Kanda’s title was listed as “industrial counselor,” but by the 23rd, the title had been changed to “psychological counselor” on the website and mail-order site of the publisher, Mikasa Shobo.

According to the Japan Association of Industrial Counselors, which administers the qualification exam for industrial counselors, Kanda is not currently registered as an industrial counselor.

This exam became a skills examination approved by the former Ministry of Labor in 1992, but in 2001 the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare abolished the certification of skills examinations by public interest corporations, and it is now a private qualification.

“Industrial counselor” is a trademark, and in order to use it in activities, it is necessary to register with the association.

Mikasa Shobo stated “We refrained from using it to avoid trouble regarding trademark rights.”

Mikasa Shobo acknowledged the change of title in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun on the 23rd, and explained the circumstances, saying that after receiving a warning from the Japan Association of Industrial Counselors, the owner of the trademark for industrial counselor, prohibiting its use, “we refrained from using it to avoid trouble regarding trademark rights.”

Kanda passed the “industrial counselor” qualification, a certification given by the former Ministry of Labor, in January 1999, and considering that “the author has been displaying this qualification for about 30 years, long before the association registered the trademark,” she initially used this title in the publication.

The author stated that since it is not used in the book title, “it does not constitute an infringement of trademark rights,” but added that “we will continue to consult with legal experts and consider the matter.”