Aichi Reports 1,034 Irregularities in Disability Certificate Issuance

From Kyodo via Yahoo! Japan

February 10 2026

AICHI – On the 10th, Aichi Prefecture announced that there had been 1,034 cases of improper administrative processing involving Mental Disability Health and Welfare Certificates and related documents at the prefectural Mental Health and Welfare Center in fiscal years 2023–2024. While assigned to the center, a 27-year-old male employee from the Toyokawa Public Health Center issued certificates without obtaining the required approvals, recorded false review results in documents, and altered classifications to more severe levels.

In interviews conducted by the prefecture, he explained to the effect that “administrative processing fell behind, and I altered the classifications to levels that applicants would accept.”

According to the prefecture, the breakdown was 253 cases involving mental disability certificates and 781 cases involving Self-Support Medical Care Recipient Certificates, which allow reductions in out-of-pocket medical expenses for outpatient treatment. The prefecture stated that there were no cases in which applicants were disadvantaged by the processing.