Doubts over doubling of disability pension denials: Minister Fukuoka will “investigate the actual situation and make it public”

By Barrier Free Japan, The Fukushi Shimbun

May 19 2025

TOKYO – Reports that the number of people who applied for disability pensions and were denied in fiscal year 2024 are causing a stir. For disabled people with low incomes, whether they can receive the pension or not is a matter of life and death, and several disability groups have issued statements expressing doubts and concerns, such as “this cannot be overlooked” and “this will greatly shake trust in the system.” The issue has also been raised in the Diet, and Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Takamaro Fukuoka announced that he will investigate the actual situation and make the results public in one month.

The incident began with a Kyodo News report dated April 28th. The report stated that the number of people who were denied disability pensions in fiscal 2024 is more than double the number in fiscal 2023, reaching about 30,000. It has also been mentioned that the requirements have become stricter since the director of the Japan Pension Service Disability Pension Center was replaced in October 2023, and that center staff may be inducing doctors to deny pensions.

In response to this, the National Federation of Hand-in-Hand Nurturing Associations and the Association of People with Developmental Disabilities called on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to verify the facts of the report and promptly publish the results.

The number of cases of disability pension certification is compiled by the organization and published every September as “Disability Pension Operation Statistics.” Minister Fukuoka responded to a question from Representative Yuko Otsubaki (Social Democratic Party) at the House of Councilors Health, Labor and Welfare Committee on the 8th by saying, “I have instructed the organization to conduct a sample survey. We will proceed with the work so that the results can be published in about one month.”

Clarification of the assessment criteria

Disability pensions are pre-screened by center staff based on submitted medical certificates, etc., and a commissioned doctor decides whether to grant the pension and the grade in consultation with the staff.

However, this system leaves room for arbitrary and personal intentions, and does not guarantee sufficient objectivity. For this reason, four organizations, including the National Federation of Mental Health and Welfare Associations and the Disability Pension Law Research Group, are calling for clarification of the assessment criteria and transparency of the review process. The four organizations have also issued a statement calling for the introduction of a council system consisting of lawyers and mental health and welfare workers, as well as home visits to investigate applicants’ living and employment conditions.

Furthermore, since the 2010 UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ concluding observations recommended that discussions be held with disability organizations regarding the amount of disability pension payments, they are calling for the immediate establishment of a forum for such discussions. As discussions on disability pensions have been left behind in the pension subcommittee of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Social Security Council, they are also calling for the establishment of a specialized conference body.