Osaka Woman With Intellectual Disability Refused UR Housing, Raising Rights Questions [Podcast Episode]

By Barrier Free Japan

November 19 2025 

OSAKA – A 60-year-old woman with an intellectual disability in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, was denied a UR rental apartment despite having spent more than a year preparing to live independently with support from a local nonprofit, prompting concerns that the agency’s requirement for a co-resident family member constitutes discriminatory treatment. The woman had practiced living alone in an NPO-rented unit, staying several nights a week and managing household tasks with periodic help from care workers. As The Mainichi Shimbun reported on November 15, disability-rights advocates argue that imposing conditions not required of non-disabled applicants contradicts national policy encouraging people with disabilities to move from institutions into community-based housing.

Episode notes:

‘Osaka Woman With Intellectual Disability Refused UR Housing, Raising Rights Questions ‘:

Osaka Woman With Intellectual Disability Refused UR Housing, Raising Rights Questions