Japan Labour Ministry Suspects Abuse of Remote Work Systems for People with Disabilities as Use Triples

From Kyodo via Yahoo! Japan

May 4 2026

TOKYO – According to Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry data released on the 4th, the number of vocational training centers for the disabled where “more than half of users work from home” has surged 3.2 times over the four-year period ending in 2025. Because, remote support reduces overhead costs, such as personnel expenses for on-site staff, the Ministry suspects that some profit-driven operators are abusing the system. Consequently, the Ministry issued a notice to local governments nationwide this April, calling for stricter oversight.

The rapid increase in remote usage is centered on “Type B” Support Centers for Continuous Employment. Typically, users perform light labor and receive a monthly “wage” of 10,000 to 30,000 yen. Meanwhile, the facility receives approximately 150,000 yen per user per month in benefits from the national and local governments. With an increasing number of for-profit corporations entering the sector, there were roughly 20,000 such facilities nationwide as of late 2025.

According to Ministry data obtained by Kyodo News through a public information disclosure request, the number of facilities providing remote support rose from 2,210 in March 2021 to 4,380 in March 2025, a twofold increase. Within that group, the number of facilities where “at least half of the users are remote” jumped from 171 in 2021 to 544 in 2025, a 3.2-fold increase.