Category: Welfare

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’s health ministry is planning to introduce a cap, possibly as early as next fiscal year, on the number of “retained workers” that can be counted when calculating additional payments for disability employment support, following allegations of large-scale overpayments in Osaka City. The move comes after three Type A continuous employment support facilities allegedly cycled users through repeated six-month employment periods and reported around 200 retained workers per year—despite each facility having a capacity of only 20 users—resulting in suspected excess subsidies of more than ¥2 billion.

Tae Owada (55) of Tateyama City, whose daughter has both intellectual and physical disabilities, is preparing to open a community “salon” where people with disabilities, their families, and other caregivers can gather, talk, and support one another. The space will be located in a former day-service building near Tajima Shrine and Tateyama Station, and is planned to offer weekday support for parents, after-school activities with children, and occasional weekend workshops. Owada hopes the salon will also welcome caregivers of the elderly, school-refusing children, and immigrant families. Her goal is to create a place of solidarity and mutual empowerment, and she is calling on the community for help in making it a reality.