Liberal Democratic Party member Eriko Imai asked questions in sign language at Japan’s upper house plenary session on the 30th. According to the House of Councilors Secretariat, this is the first question in sign language at the House of Councilors plenary session.
Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. said Wednesday it will open its first store in the country with sign language ability for hearing impaired customers.
As a preventive measure against the new coronavirus infection, Kyoto Prefecture introduced a service from the June 9 that allows people with hearing impairments to use sign language interpreters remotely using smartphones or tablet terminals.
“As hearing-impaired individuals and their interpreters express and comprehend meanings through facial expressions as well as movements of the hands and mouth, masks covering most of the face make communication difficult.”
Of the seven prefectures that were initially covered by the the state of emergency being declared in Japan, Saitama is the only the prefecture to have no sign language interpreter at the Governor’s press conferences.
In addition to arranging sign language interpreters, the settlement included training for supervisors for mutual understanding with the hearing impaired and conducting sign language training for employees.
The Association for Hearing Loss in Hokkaido, whose headquarters are in Obihiro City, has requested that fax number be added to contact information for people looking guidance about the coronavirus . “The deaf cannot contact without a fax number,” said Akiko Sasaki.
In response to the spread of the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has opened a fax consultation service (03.3595.2756) to accept consultations from people who have difficulty hearing or hearing.
On December 24th, a hearing impaired couple from Fukuoka Prefecture filed a lawsuit at Fukuoka District Court on the grounds that they were forced to undergo infertility surgery under the old Eugenic Protection Act, an act which violated basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution. They are seeking damages of 10 million yen.
“Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has made it a policy for emergency calls such as 110 and 119 regarding the “telephone relay service” for the hearing impaired, which is scheduled to be implemented nationwide from 2021.”
