Procurement From Japan’s Disability Employment Facilities Hit Record High in FY2024

From The Fukushi Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan

January 11 2026

TOKYO – On December 24 last year, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced procurement results for fiscal 2024 under the Act on Promoting Priority Procurement from Persons with Disabilities.

The number of procurement contracts in which the national government, local governments, and other public bodies procured goods, such as food products and office supplies and services, such as printing and cleaning, from facilities employing persons with disabilities rose 5% from the previous fiscal year (an increase of 7,296 contracts) to 153,184 cases. The total procurement value increased 4.8% (up ¥1.12 billion) to ¥24.638 billion. Both figures marked record highs.

Breaking down the figures by procuring body, municipalities accounted for 107,014 contracts worth ¥17.609 billion, while prefectural governments recorded 28,612 contracts totaling ¥3.14 billion. The national government accounted for 6,763 contracts worth ¥1.497 billion, with just under 40% of the total national procurement value coming from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare itself (¥561.77 million).

Looking at procurement destinations, more than 90% of municipal procurements were made directly from facilities employing persons with disabilities. In contrast, at the prefectural and national levels, more than 20% of procurements in total were made through joint order reception organizations and special subsidiary companies.

The law came into effect in April 2013 with the aim of promoting the economic independence of persons with disabilities. Under the law, national and local governments are encouraged to procure goods and services from facilities employing persons with disabilities, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare compiles and publishes the results annually.