wellbeing

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

More disabled persons being obliged to give up facilities under new law

Two months have passed since the enactment on April 1 of the law to promote the self-support of disabled people, a law that actually requires them to pay about ten percent of the cost for the services they use. A Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers group survey shows that during the first two months after the law was enacted, many had to stop or at least think of giving up using services.

JCP Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira announced the findings at a press conference on June 7.

The JCP sent a questionnaire to 230 facilities that provide services for physically or mentally handicapped persons and received responses from 212 facilities. The survey found that 65 persons have stopped using facilities because of suddenly increased burdens, and 111 persons have considered stopping their use.

Facilities that accept physically or mentally disabled persons for work are now required to pay 10,000-30,000 yen for using the facility, far exceeding the amount of remuneration they can receive for their work, discouraging them form working at the facilities.

After the amounts of public funding for facilities and services were reduced from April 1, the facilities' income decreased by 10-20 percent from last year. The worst case saw a 46% reduction in income. This led to serious difficulties in managing the facilities and some have had to reduce their staff.

All the facilities surveyed said that they want the government either to revoke the principle of requiring the new system forcing beneficiaries to pay for services or to expand the application of reductions and exemptions.

In the same news conference, the JCP published an urgent demand that the government examine the impact of the new law, drastically reduce users' payments, and drastically increase the amount of public funding for these facilities.

At the House of Councilors Audit Committee meeting on June 7, Inoue Satoshi, a JCP representative, urged the government to immediately adopt these demands.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro declined to accept the proposal saying that it is less than three months since the new law went into force. He added that he had heard many complaints about the new system, admitting that it is necessary to examine its impact.

Under the new law, the government has destroyed their self-support, far from encouraging them, Inoue pointed out.

He demanded that the government follow the example of eight prefectural and 244 municipal governments that assist in user utility charges, and to raise the minimum unit cost to be paid to these facilities.
- Akahata, June 8, 2006