Barrier Free Japan

Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry has begun investigating the handling of disability pension assessments after it emerged that some decisions were changed following re-evaluations requested by Japan Pension Service staff. The ministry reported that over the roughly three months since October last year, 61 cases were revised from payment to non-payment or suspension after reassessment, while 120 cases were changed from non-payment to payment. Disability pension eligibility is determined by physicians commissioned by the pension service, but media reports prompted concerns that staff-initiated re-evaluations could overturn initial approvals. An interim probe found that reassessments accounted for about 1% of all cases since fiscal 2024, and while some original assessment documents had previously been discarded, the ministry said it has found no evidence so far of intentional non-payment.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to make an extraordinary revision to disability welfare service fees in June 2026, cutting basic fees for newly established providers of four services, including Continuous Employment Support (Type B), for fiscal 2026 only, while leaving fees for existing providers unchanged. The ministry says the move is intended to curb rising disability welfare expenditures, but concerns have been raised that it could discourage new entrants and worsen service shortages, particularly in underserved areas. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has opposed the plan, formally requesting that the health ministry and the Children and Families Agency reconsider the nationwide reduction, warning that changing fee policy during its 2024–2026 service development plan could disrupt service provision and limit access for people with disabilities.

On December 23 last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted a request to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Children and Families Agency regarding the June 2026 interim revision of disability welfare service fees, calling on them not to implement a nationwide reduction in basic compensation for newly established providers of certain services.