The number of users of a national programme to subsidise the cost of assistance needed during employment so that people with severe disabilities can work was found to be limited to 92 people in 26 municipalities. Many municipalities are reluctant to implement the project because they are unsure whether there is demand for it.
Partly based on a child welfare bill submitted by the DPFP in February, the envisioned law is expected to call for a regular survey to identify and assess young carers and stronger educational and welfare support, as well as to specify the roles of the central and local governments.
The average monthly wage in FY2020 for persons with disabilities working at employment support facilities in Tochigi prefecture was 16,405 yen, down 5.3% (912 yen) from the previous year and the first decrease in 11 years, according to a report by the prefectural disability welfare department on 30 November.
Three people, including the president of an NPO in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, have been arrested again for allegedly cheating disabled people out of their nursing care benefits.
Last April, two brothers in their 50s were found dead in a house in Nishiyodogawa Ward, Osaka City. The younger brother (56 years old at the time) had a severe intellectual disability, and the elder brother (57 years old at the time) was the sole caregiver.
“Kikuo Fujita (78) of Hodatsushimizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, who has a physical disability, said that it was illegal to refuse to apply for a disability pension because he did not have a medical certificate. The appeal decision was made at the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court on the 15th. Judge Shunji Hasui decided that the government’s response was “illegal.”
The plaintiff had been seeking payment from the national government for 37 years of Disability Basic Pension, coming in to a total of about 17.63 million yen (around $161,000). In its ruling, the high court ordered that some 15.5 million yen (about $141,000) be paid to the man.
The mudslide disaster in the Izusan area of Atami City has deprived disabled people of a place to live. The Shinzo Megumikai Community Workshop in Izusan survived the disaster, but its premises have been closed to the public.
Masakatsu Amami (71), a patient with cerebral palsy in Chiba City, said that it was unreasonable that the disability welfare benefits based on the Comprehensive Support Law for Persons with Disabilities were discontinued at the age of 65 and that the transition to long-term care insurance caused self-pay. On the 18th, the Chiba District Court dismissed the claim.
A joint project team of Japan’s welfare and education ministries has drawn up measures to support young carers, or children under 18 who look after family members, including those in poor health. It will be the first time for the Japanese government to adopt support measures for young carers.
Barrier Free Japan