Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities in Japan

Persons with disabilities have historically toned numerous struggles. Over the centuries and in various cultures well-nigh the world, plenty with disabilities have had to manage d hold for their rights to be recognized as human beings capable of living case-by-case and valuable hold outs. Although the preconditioninology has flip-flopd remarkably over the past few decades from use words such as crippled to handicapped to persons with disabilities, the words themselves do not change the basic state of in comparison throng with disabilities fight with in their e very daytime lives.These include barriers in umteen a(prenominal) essential aspects of deportment such as access to independent housing, command, public transportation and employment. With issue tingeity of access and opportunities, mess with disabilities will never truly be equal in any society. First and foremost, in that location must be information of the individuality of the balk experience. There mu st also be a recognition that the term disability embodies much more than persons who argon wheelchair users. This term implies a multiplicity of experiences including persons with learning disabilities, neurological, psychiatric and intellectual disabilities.To analyze the mooring of persons with disabilities in Japan, it is crucial therefore that we accept the concepts of individuality of experience and the maven of disability as implying a wide range of experiences. An separate road map that will aid us in this analysis is to accept that this land site must be understood from the perspectives of people with disabilities themselves. Therefore, it may be that date strides argon being made in Japan for persons with almost agency of disabilities, persons with other types of disabilities may not be experiencing the same amount of come along in their lives.In Japan as in many other countries around the world, persons with disabilities have begun to mobilize themselves. The mobil ization of people with disabilities is an primal step in changing the state of inequality to one of large(p)er equality. This mobilization treat or disability rights activism reflects the fact that people with disabilities in Japan are no longer willing to wait for their country to guide significant social change. They are taking the issue of creating an integrated society naughtily and are willing to work hard to attain it.Social change for persons with disabilities in Japan began to ready shape in 1986. This is when the seminal organization DPI-Japan (Japan discipline Assembly of Disabled Peoples International) formed. The formation of this organization beggarlyt that for the first time, people with disabilities in Japan had a national and organized voice to speak on behalf of their needs and most importantly, their rights. (Country Reports 2003). DPI-Japan is an important organization and has interpreted a leading position in the grassroots consumer movement in Japan.Fu rthermore, it has played an important role in the disability field at large in promoting human rights and independence of persons with disabilities (Yuki 2000). The fact that DPI-Japan even exists is evidence of the fact that people with disabilities in Japan face significant struggles. It is also evidence that persons with disabilities in Japan have begun to organize themselves in gistful ways to shroud these struggles. This organization has now interpreted on the responsibility of trying to metamorphose this ancient culture into an integrated society.According to some Japanese who are confused with disability rights activism and the independence living movement, persons with disabilities in Japan face some age-old problems that their counterparts have had to deal with in many other countries preconceived notion. This prejudice has its foundation in basic misconceptions about what it means to live manners with a disability. As one Japanese activist stated In Japan today, most disabled people face discrimination that margin them to living in a separate world. As soon as it is determined that a new-born child has a disability, the child is separated from other people and consigned o a separate world for his or her completely life . . . Parents with disabled children often keep them at home because of the impertinent looks both would get from the people in the community. (Daiichi 1) This is (unfortunately) not an unfamiliar scenario for people with disabilities. Peoples misconceptions, parental fears and systemic barriers are the kinds of struggles persons with disabilities have faced in many cultures and in Japan. Although disability rights activists have begun to mobilize in Japan, social change is slow. Recently however change has begun to appear on the horizon of Japanese culture.In 2003, a new national organization appeared which may signal the set-back of real success in creating greater awareness of the rights of people with disabilities in Jap an. The Japanese Disability Forum is a relatively new calculus of disability-rights Japanese NGOs. In may 2003, they had their first dialogue with the Japanese government. As a result, Mr. Toshihiro Higashi, a board member of DPI-Japan and an attorney, became an advisor of the Japanese Governmental Delegation to the Second Session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee (Country Reports 2). Thus, a new age is slowly dawning in Japan.These kinds of changes signify that a process of accepting and integrating persons with disabilities into a higher level of cite and decision-making in Japan is taking place. charm some may cover this as a small step, it is hitherto extremely relevant. To be taken soberly, persons with disabilities must be active in the political-decision making process. The voices of persons with disabilities need to be heard locally and nationally further not only as complaints or concerns. Their voices must also be heard as go viable suggestions for real and practical cha nges to Japanese society.DPI-Japan is being taken seriously and this marks the beginning of social change for Japanese persons with disabilities. While activists fight for change, persons with disabilities continue to cope with a society, which in their opinion does not amply accept them. Japanese people with disabilities may be moving steady into important decisions, but for many these decisions cannot be made fast enough.The limit of the discrimination faced by and the suffering imposed upon disabled people in Japan is demonstrated by the appearance in late years of independent living organizations all over the country. (Daiichi 2). Finally, however, disability rights activists in Japan have begun to make some significant strides. In May 2004, the Japan Diet (Parliament) passed a law entitled, The Basic Law for Persons with Disabilities. This peak includes anti-discrimination provisions, stating Nobody shall discriminate against persons with dis- abilities or perform other dis criminating acts to soften their rights and benefits, because of their disabilities. in time, since no penalty is stipulated its legal effectiveness and binding force are quite exhausted. (Ohta 2005)While this certainly has to be considered a step forward for persons with disabilities in Japan, it is a small one. There are inherent problems with this legislation that go along it from accomplishing anything substantive. First of all, it does not define what is meant by the term disability. It may or may not be inclusive of persons with all manner of disabilities but it does not say. Second, as the comment above indicates there are no legal stipulations for what will occur when someone actually does discriminate against a person with a disability.Thirdly and perhaps most important, it does not define what they mean by discrimination. There are no guidelines here for employers, transportation officials or anyone for that matter. Here is where Japanese disability rights activists still have a great deal of work ahead of them. If this law is to have any meaning or impact on Japanese society, it must be delimitate further. It would be helpful to study other laws such as the Americans with Disabilities execution which lays out very specific guidelines.There is no doubt that while some will see this as a mastery, others might perceive of it as a token gesture to silence the furor that is beginning to arrive in Japanese society. Indeed, some activists are beginning to take matters into their own hands. In 2003, 500 persons with disabilities, primarily wheelchair users occupied the building of the Ministry of Labor, Health and social welfare for over two week. The reason they did so was to protest the fact that own(prenominal) care or assistance would be cut from twenty-four hours per day to only four.By the time, 1200 people gathered in front of the building, disability rights activists had taken control and occupied the building for over two weeks. The gov ernment relented and did not change the service. The activists had won an important victory. (Nakanishi 2005). Other victories have also begun to take place. Also in 2003, The Human Rights actors assistant of Japan (a branch of the justness Ministry) and the Osaka Legal Affairs Bureau conducted a joint investigation into underlying Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) after a complaint was filed in April with the Osaka Bureau by a cart user. (Ito 2004).According to this article by The Japan Times, the beau monde had no reason to refuse a cart user onto their system. However the reality is that 1,29 railway stations have cart access out of 9,538 stations and JR Tokai is one of three railways that denies access to the carts at all stations. (Ibid) scour though the individual was denied access there is a small victory here in that the government is taking the action and not disability rights activists. There is no doubt that in Japanese society, persons with disabilities face many syste mic barriers.They are still denied access to all public transportation. Indeed, they face age-old ideas and misconceptions about what it means to be a person with a disability. There is a law on the books but an extremely weak one which seems to have little or not ability to make substantive change in the daily life of people with disabilities. While information on other issues such as employment and education did not seem to be as readily open, it seems unlikely that there would be equality in those sectors when Japanese people with disabilities are still fighting for their basic rights.According to Daiichi, many people with disabilities want out of the institutions they live in but they have no place to go . . . It is very difficult to rent private apartments, and metropolitan public housing is available only to those who apply as households. (2) So, even such basic rights as independent living are still a struggle for Japanese people with disabilities. The one bright spot on t he horizon is the chronic work of disability rights activists who will hopefully not give up the fight.