Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to apply the “joint liability system” based on the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act to Megumi (headquartered in Minato Ward, Tokyo), which operates a group home (GH) for the disabled. If the joint liability system is applied, other GHs across the country will not be allowed to renew their designations every six years, and will effectively be unable to operate their facilities. Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City are expected to cancel the business operator designation of five GHs in the prefecture operated by the company on the 26th, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is expected to apply the associative responsibility system on the same day.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there is no precedent for the joint liability system being applied to a corporation that operates a disability welfare service facility on the company’s scale, and it is possible that up to about 2,000 users will be affected.