700,000 People with Disabilities in Japan Employed by Companies; Only 46% Meet Employment Quota

From Kyodo via Yahoo! Japan

December 19 2025

TOKYO – On the 19th, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced survey results showing that, as of June 1, the number of people with disabilities working at private-sector companies stood at 704,610, a 4.0% increase from the previous year. This marks the 22nd consecutive year in which the figure has reached a record high. However, only 46.0% of companies met the legally mandated employment quota of 2.5%, unchanged from the previous year.

Under the Act on Employment Promotion of Persons with Disabilities, private companies with 40 or more employees, as well as the national and local governments, are required to employ people with disabilities at or above a specified proportion in order to promote social participation. In compiling the figures, the ministry counted individuals with severe disabilities as equivalent to two employees, and short-time workers as 0.5 to one employee.

By type of disability, people with physical disabilities made up the largest group at 373,914.5, followed by those with mental disabilities at 168,542, and those with intellectual disabilities at 162,153.5.