Concerns Over Farm Labour Conditions for People with Disabilities in Japan Prompts Push for Self-Regulation

By Barrier Free Japan

July 18 2025

JAPAN – As Japan increasingly promotes the employment of people with disabilities in agriculture, mounting concerns over abuse and the lack of meaningful work have prompted industry stakeholders to seek reforms. Reports suggest that some farms using agencies to source disabled labor are offering tasks that may be more symbolic than substantive, raising ethical and regulatory questions.

Agriculture has become a growing sector for disability employment, with government and business interest in “inclusive” labor. However, some farms, often facing labor shortages, rely on welfare service agencies to supply workers with disabilities—sometimes under arrangements that critics describe as exploitative or superficial.

Concerns have surfaced that the jobs assigned are often menial and lack any real purpose, such as repeatedly moving soil from one place to another or performing tasks that are never used in actual food production. Advocacy groups warn that these practices risk treating disabled workers as props for funding rather than as employees with the right to dignity and meaningful labor.

In response to these troubling patterns, the Association for the Promotion of Employment for Persons with Disabilities announced in July 2025 the introduction of a certification system for businesses and farms that employ people with disabilities. The initiative aims to promote transparency, accountability, and ethical standards across industries—particularly agriculture.

The certification program will recognize organizations that self-regulate and demonstrate efforts to offer appropriate working conditions, including fair treatment, proper supervision, and meaningful task assignments. While voluntary, the association hopes the system will help cultivate what it calls a “healthy industry” by discouraging exploitative practices and encouraging genuine inclusion.

As farms continue to play a prominent role in Japan’s disability employment strategy, advocates argue that dignity—not just labor quotas—must be at the center of policy, Chairman Kenji Nishimura of the Japan Association of Business Operators for the Promotion of Employment for Persons with Disabilities stated: “It’s true that some companies want to employ persons with disabilities without much effort, but it’s difficult for individual member companies to improve this on their own. We believe that by working together as an industry, a self-purifying effect will take hold.”