77 pct of Japan public unaware of anti-discrimination law for disabled

October 1, 2017

TOKYO- The Japanese law to fight discrimination against disabled people, put into effect in April 2016, is not known by 77.2 pct of the public, a Cabinet Office survey revealed Saturday.

The survey also found that the rate of public awareness of the Dec. 3-9 Week of Persons with Disabilities in Japan every year stood at 23.9 pct, down 4.7 percentage points from the previous survey five years earlier.

"We need to redouble efforts to provide information (on the law and the week)," an official at the government agency said.

In the nationwide survey conducted on Aug. 3-13, a total of 3,000 people aged 18 or older were interviewed.

Only 5.1 pct of the respondents said they know the content of the new law, which bans the central and local governments, as well as private companies, from discriminating against disabled people and obliges them to give reasonable consideration to those people.

Meanwhile, 16.8 pct said they only know the fact that the law was created.

As for the disabled persons' week, those who showed willingness to participate in related events, such as seminars, plays and charity bazaars, accounted for 64.4 pct of the total, down 4.9 points.

Also in the survey, 53.5 pct, up 7.4 points, answered that a lack of consideration for disabilities, such as not communicating with deaf people in writing at the reception desk, may amount to discrimination. Jiji Press