“The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is currently looking into the necessary legal changes to oblige airlines that operate regular domestic and international flights in Japan to introduce wheelchair lifts, ramps and other equipment.”
“A demonstration of a new system that guides visually impaired people using the sound of smartphones at the premises of a Tokyo metro station was conducted.”
“Dangerous incidents included a drunken passenger who tripped, a person being hit by a falling suitcase and someone’s clothing getting stuck in the escalator.”
“The tourism ministry will step up efforts to make the nation’s airports more accessible for disabled people ahead of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it has been learned.”
“Under the new rules, hotels with 201 to 300 rooms, for example, would have to have three or more rooms accessible to wheelchair users.”
“The Shizuoka association of the deaf has received an apology from the board of education of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, after a lodging facility owned by the education board refused in January a request to accommodate a group of about 100 hearing-impaired persons on the grounds that their safety could not be guaranteed…”
“The ordinance sets quantitative criteria that must be met for rooms at hotels and inns to be labeled barrier-free. For example, doors to a room, toilet or bathroom must be “at least 80 centimeters wide and have no steps.””
“Since I have not yet received concrete consultation (such as application from the city), I will refrain from replying as to whether or not”.
“Mayor Takashi Kawamura, aiming for restoration faithful to historical facts, reaffirmed the lack of elevators, whereas people with disabilities reported that “There is no concrete alternative proposal and I can not convince them, I can not accept them.”
“The current tower has elevators, and Mayor Takashi Kawamura’s fidelity to history has triggered a backlash from the public, with citizens’ groups saying the project goes against building a barrier-free society.
The city has said it plans to introduce an alternative to elevators using “new technologies” but hasn’t stated what this means.”
Barrier Free Japan