Ex-lawmaker with ALS calls on politicians to ensure right to live

From Jiji via The Japan Times

September 12 2025

TOKYO – Yasuhiko Funago, a former House of Councilors lawmaker with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, called on politicians to guarantee the right to “live until the end,” in a recent written interview.

The retired lawmaker of Reiwa Shinsengumi, an opposition party, served one six-year term in the Upper House before deciding not to seek re-election in this July’s election.

In the interview, conducted in writing as he cannot speak, Funago expressed strong concern about social pressures that could make it difficult for people with severe illnesses and disabilities to live.

Funago referred to an incident in November 2019, after he became a lawmaker, in which a doctor killed an ALS patient at her request, sparking reactions on the internet, such as calls for the legalization of euthanasia and sympathy for those who have to live in suffering.

“Such thinking makes it hard for people with intractable diseases and severe disabilities to express a desire to live,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Funago acknowledged that the Diet became more accessible during his term. This paved the way for future lawmakers with disabilities and is expected to lead to a more diverse Diet and society, he said.

On the other hand, Funago criticized the welfare ministry for still not allowing people with severe disabilities to use a comprehensive care service under law while working, including as a lawmaker, or commuting. “I want to work from the private sector to remove the restrictions,” he said.

Funago regretted that he could not make much progress toward so-called inclusive education, in which children with and without disabilities study together in school.

“Some progress was seen in reasonable accommodations and environmental improvements, such as barrier-free school buildings,” Funago noted.

However, he said, “The shift from special needs education in separate locations (from ordinary schools and classes) has not advanced a bit.”

Funago voiced his frustration about the situation in which the number of children in special needs schools and classes is rising rapidly, despite a decline in the overall child population.

Funago took issue with a political party that, during the July Upper House election campaign, called for a review of terminal care services, including on the possibility of legalizing death with dignity, in efforts to reduce medical expenditures.

“Anyone can be forced to quit a job in the middle of their career due to disabilities caused by an accident or illness,” he said. “Building a society in which everyone can utilize their potential until the end of their lives should be a role of politics,” he added.

Following his retirement from politics, Funago said he will engage in activities to assist disabled children requiring medical care and to provide nursing care to elderly people in his hometown of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

He is also revamping his Facebook content. “I think this is meaningful for promoting communication with the local community,” he said.