Social Policy for People with Disabilities in Japan
By Hideharu Uemura, Ph. D. Jpana College of Social Work

Welfare Services for People with Disabilities

Issue the Certificate of Disability (Service ID)

All persons with disabilities are registered with local welfare office.

Measures for reducing or correcting impairment, medical examination and rehabilitation counseling

1. Prevention of causes of disabilities, early detection and treatment
Medical care and rehabilitation
2. Measures for mental health and welfare

Provision of technical aids

1. Visual Impairment: white cane, watches (sound-type/tactile-type) etc
2. Hearing Impairment: hearing aid, fax machine
3. Limb/trunk Impairment: wheelchair (normal/electric type), artificial limbs etc

Security of Income

People aged 20 years and over

Class 1

Severe Disablement Allowance	\26,520/month
Disability Basic Pension	\82,758/month

Class 2

Disability Basic Pension	\66,208/month

People under the age of 20

Child Disability Allowance	\14,430/month
Family Allowance	\50,900/month

Home services

1. Home help services
2. Day care services
3. Short stay services
   (respite care)

Social Participation of PWD

• Braille Information and Talking Book
• Guide dog for the blind
• Training and dispatch sign language interpreter
• Training and dispatch note-taker
• Driving lesson for PWD
• Guidance and counseling for family
• Sport classes for PWD

Facilities services for PWD

• Rehabilitation Center for PWD
• Sheltered Workshop
• Nursing Home
• Group Home
• Half-way Home
• Day service Center
• Respite Care Center

The Status of Social Welfare Institutions

	Adults	Children
Rehabilitation Institutions for PWD	2,232	1
Nursing Home for PWD	22,615	26
Facilities for Severely Disabled People	4,339	2
Welfare Home for PWD	495	0
Sheltered Workshops for PWD	12,928	6
Institution for Disabled Children	8,482	5,754
Institutions for Intellectually Disabled	16,470	1,143
Institutions for Public Aids	3,875
Welfare Institutions for the Aged	96,699
(in 2000 survey)

Employment Promotion System

Employment rate stipulated in the Law

Private companies

General Private Enterprises	1.8%
Special Corporations	2.1%

Public sector

State, local public bodies	2.1%
Board of education in Pref.	2.0%

Report on the Employment Situation of the PWD

Employers are required to submit a report on the employment situation of their disabled employees to the Public Employment Security Office once a year.

Employment Program for PWD

Employers who have not achieved the employment rate may be given an order from the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office to prepare an "Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities". A penalty code is provided for those not complying with this order.

Disabled Person's Employment Levy and Grant System

A company "X" has employed 1000 full-time workers.

The employer must employ 18 disabled workers.

1000 (persons) * 0.018 = 18 (persons)

If 10 disabled workers were employed, the employer must pay the following levy.

(18-10) * \50,000 * 12(month) = \4,800,000

Education of Children with Disabilities (1)

In the field of education, special efforts are made to expand the potentials of children with disabilities as much as possible. In accordance with the type and degree of disability, capacity, aptitude of each child, education is provided in schools for the blind, deaf, intellectually disabled, physically disabled, children with health problems, special classes and resource rooms in elementary and lower secondary school.

Education of Children with Disabilities (2)

• Government guarantees an appropriate education for each child, regardless of the nature or severity of their disability
• Only 147 children were difficult to attend school(1 May 2001)

Number of Schools and Children

Type of School	Schools	Children
School for the blind	71	3,870
School for the deaf	106	6,573
School for the phys	202	18,756
School for the intel	528	65,690
School for health	92	3,907
Total	999	98,796
(in 2004)

Number of Classes and Children

Type of Classes	Class	Children
Intellectually disabled	18,596	57,083
Physically disabled	2,054	3,551
Health problem	877	1,737
Low vision	213	267
Hard of hearing	614	1,138
Speech problem	338	1,193
Emotionally disturbed	9,631	25,882
Total	32,323	90,851

Number of children attending resource room

Children with speech problem	28,870
Emotional disturbance	5,033
Low vision	152
Hard of hearing	1,694
Physical disability	2
Health problem	6

Volunteer Activities

National Government subsidized the volunteer activities

• Lifelong Learning Volunteer Center
• Volunteer education in school
• Volunteer activities in towns and villages