Cases of abuse against people with disabilities in Japan reached a record high of 3,770 in fiscal 2024, the welfare ministry said Tuesday, citing an increase in consultations and reports to local governments. The total, confirmed by prefectural and municipal authorities, rose by 293 from the previous year, the ministry said.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering adding Japanese language proficiency as a requirement for permanent residency for foreigners, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. To obtain the status, foreigners will also be mandated to take a program aimed at helping them smoothly integrate into local communities, the sources said. The envisaged new requirements will be included in a draft package of proposals on policy for foreign nationals, to be compiled next month for submission to the government.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has decided on a policy to make an extraordinary revision to disability service fees in June 2026, under which the basic remuneration for newly established providers of four services, including Continuous Employment Support (Type B), will be reduced for fiscal year 2026 only. Existing providers will continue to receive the current basic remuneration.
Japan plans to raise overall government-set medical service fees by 2.22 pct in fiscal 2026, informed sources said Tuesday. The government is set to increase the main portion of the fees, which mainly covers labor costs for medical workers, by an annual average of 3.09 pct over the two years from fiscal 2026, which starts next April.
Nearly two years after Japan’s revised Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities made the provision of “reasonable accommodation” mandatory for private businesses, progress remains uneven. While some companies in Okayama Prefecture have introduced measures such as sign-language captions, communication apps, Braille menus, and barrier-free design, people with disabilities say daily experiences have changed little.
Nearly two years after Japan’s revised Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities made the provision of “reasonable accommodation” mandatory for private businesses, progress remains uneven. While some companies in Okayama Prefecture have introduced measures such as sign-language captions, communication apps, Braille menus, and barrier-free design, people with disabilities say daily experiences have changed little.
Japan’s ruling parties agreed Friday to seek to reduce the country’s medical costs by 188 billion yen per year, by revising the eligibility of certain drugs for insurance coverage. The agreement was struck between the policy chiefs of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai). The government plans to hammer out the details of the revised medical insurance system for pharmaceuticals based on the two parties’ agreement for implementation in the fiscal year beginning next April.
Well, that’s more or less a wrap for 2025! I might make a few podcast episodes should something momentous happen, other than have a Barrier Free Solstice and New Year and Disability News Japan will return in 2026!
It has been learned that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is making arrangements to set an upper limit on the number of “retained workers” used to calculate support bonuses. This move comes in response to allegations that three “Type A Support Centers for Continuous Employment” in Osaka City received excessive payments. The Ministry revealed this plan on the 16th during a meeting to discuss revisions to the compensation system for disability welfare services.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on the 19th the results of a survey showing that, as of June 1, the number of people with disabilities working at private companies stood at 704,610, a 4.0% increase from the previous year. This marks the 22nd consecutive year in which the figure has reached a record high. However, only 46.0% of companies achieved the legally mandated employment ratio of 2.5%, unchanged from the previous year.
Barrier Free Japan