Extract from The Hokkaido Shimbun
August 29 2026
HOKKAIDO – The number of residents in facilities for people with disabilities across Hokkaido is on a declining trend, reaching a record low of 9,026 in fiscal year 2024 according to the latest statistics, an investigation by the prefecture and other sources revealed. While the overall population of individuals with disabilities continues to rise, influenced in part by an aging society, the drop in facility residents is driven by national and prefectural policies promoting “community transition,” which aims to move individuals from institutional care into community-based living. However, the pace of this transition falls far short of government targets, prompting experts to point out that “the national government must outline a concrete roadmap.”
Number of residents in disability facilities in Hokkaido, for fiscal years 2005–2010, the figures are as of October; from fiscal year 2011 onward, they are as of the end of the fiscal year. (Image: The Hokkaido Shimbun)
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