Japan Federation of Bar Associations calls Welfare Ministry’s Disability Pension report “clearly unreasonable”

By Barrier Free Japan

February 20 2026

TOKYO – The Fukushi Shimbun reported on February 19th that the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) said Jan. 30 it had submitted a statement to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry calling for fair disability pension certifications, criticizing a ministry probe that found no improper handling in cases where initial certification reports were rewritten, discarded and reassessed.

Regarding the ministry’s Jan. 16 report, the JFBA said it was “clearly unreasonable” to describe the rewriting of certification reports as merely correcting deficiencies.

The ministry said that among 811 cases from October 2025 onward in which certification reports remained, 17 cases involved a change of certifying physician and a revision of the decision to either deny benefits or lower the disability grade, concluding all were appropriate.

In contrast, the JFBA noted that decisions had been issued in 527 of the 811 cases, and nearly half, 43 percent, or 229 cases, saw their outcomes changed after certification reports were rewritten. It argued that “the primary purpose of the rewrites was to have the Japan Pension Service alter the assessment results.”

The JFBA also disputed the ministry’s explanation that certifying physicians were changed to meet review deadlines, saying exceeding such periods is not uncommon and the reasoning does not reflect actual practice. It called for an independent third-party investigative panel, citing limits to the ministry’s “self-cleansing” function, and urged the creation of an expert panel to discuss disability pension standards and related challenges.