The statutory employment quota (hōtei koyōritsu) requiring companies to employ a minimum proportion of people with disabilities will be raised from 2.5% to 2.7% on July 1. The aim is to further promote employment of people with disabilities. However, fewer than half of companies currently meet even the existing quota, highlighting ongoing challenges in creating suitable workplace environments.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has compiled manuals on group guidance, operational inspections, and audits conducted by prefectural governments and other authorities for disability welfare service providers, and distributed them to local governments on the 8th. Until now, the ministry had only outlined its approach through training sessions. The new manuals are intended to strengthen guidance and audits, primarily in response to a growing number of disciplinary cases involving fraudulent practices as the number of facilities operated by for-profit corporations continues to rise.
A 57-year-old company employee has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the parents of a child suspected of having a developmental disorder out of approximately ¥19 million (about US$130,000) by recommending the child study abroad. Police believe the suspect may have used the same scheme to defraud multiple victims of more than ¥50 million in total and are continuing their investigation.
A new welfare service designed to help disabled people find jobs suited to their abilities is spreading across Japan, but concerns remain that providers may steer users toward affiliated workplaces rather than make impartial recommendations. While supporters say the program can help people find more suitable career paths, critics warn that operators involved in assessing users may have a financial incentive to direct them to their own facilities.
According to the prefectural government, a male nurse in his 40s working at the Prefectural Child Development Medical Center grabbed the wrist of an elementary school boy, who was hospitalized at the facility and lying on his back in a hallway, and dragged him approximately 10 meters in January this year.
A 57-year-old company employee has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the parents of a child suspected of having a developmental disorder out of approximately ¥19 million (about US$130,000) by recommending the child study abroad. Police believe the suspect may have used the same scheme to defraud multiple victims of more than ¥50 million in total and are continuing their investigation.
According to the prefectural government, a male nurse in his 40s working at the Prefectural Child Development Medical Center grabbed the wrist of an elementary school boy, who was hospitalized at the facility and lying on his back in a hallway, and dragged him approximately 10 meters in January this year.
A ceremony was held in Tokyo on Monday 22nd to restore the honor of leprosy patients in Japan, who had suffered severe discrimination based on the government’s past forced isolation policy.”We former patients and their families still live silently, hiding ourselves from prejudice and discrimination that are still swirling,” said Isao Tateyama, head of a group of plaintiffs in damages lawsuit against the government.
On the morning of June 24th, Princess Kiko of Akishino and her second daughter, Princess Kako of Akishino, viewed an exhibition featuring works by artists with disabilities from around the world. The exhibition displays 62 selected works chosen from submissions by more than 1,300 artists from around the world. The two princesses viewed, among other pieces, a work by a Japanese artist who used ironing beads (fused beads) to depict memorable dishes from their life.
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. On the other hand, disability advocates have raised concerns that the measure could reduce new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Barrier Free Japan