Japan’s Health Ministry Proposes One-Year Grace Period for People with Mental Disabilities Even if Disability Certificate Is Not Renewed

Extract from The Asahi Shimbun

June 23 2026

TOKYO – At a meeting of the Labour Policy Council on the 22nd, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare indicated that it plans to allow workers with mental disabilities to continue being counted toward a company’s disability employment quota for about one year even if their Mental Disability Health and Welfare Handbook (certificate) is not renewed. The measure is intended to prevent situations in which companies suddenly become unable to meet the legally mandated employment rate because an employee forgot to complete the renewal procedure or chose not to renew the certificate due to an improvement in their condition.

The council is discussing the issue with a view to revising the Employment Promotion of Persons with Disabilities Act. People with mental disabilities must renew their certificates every two years, and those without a valid certificate are excluded from disability employment rate calculations. Companies have argued that a certain grace period is necessary because losing such employees from the calculation can make it difficult to meet the statutory employment quota.

On the other hand, disability advocates have raised concerns that the measure could reduce new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. In response, the ministry has proposed limiting the grace period to about one year. According to the ministry, if it can reasonably be determined that the individual is expected to remain employed, they would be treated as though they still hold a valid certificate and could continue to be counted toward the employment quota. The ministry estimates that, under a one-year grace period, approximately 19,000 workers with disabilities would remain included in employment-rate calculations.