Disabled Personnel Number Padded by 3,460 at Japan Govt

August 29, 2018

Tokyo- The number of disabled workers at Japanese government agencies as of June 1 last year was padded by a total of 3,460, or more than half of the total claimed figure, the government said Tuesday.

Counting irregularities were detected at 27 of the 33 central government bodies surveyed, or over 80 pct.

Last December, the number of disabled workers at central government agencies was announced as about 6,900. The proportion of disabled workers was put at 2.49 pct of the total, above the legal standard of 2.3 pct for fiscal 2017, which ended last March.

Without the falsely counted workers, however, the share of disabled personnel would have stood at 1.19 pct. The actual number was 3,396 short of the requirement.

Private companies would be fined for missing their statutory hiring rate, which was set at 2.0 pct for fiscal 2017, but no penalty will be imposed on central government bodies under the current law.

The amount of fines paid by companies in fiscal 2017 totaled 29.3 billion yen, the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers said.

At the central government bodies, the number of overstated disabled workers was highest at the National Tax Agency, with 1,022.5, followed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, with 603.5, and the Justice Ministry, with 539.5. In the totals, short-term workers were each counted as 0.5.

Even the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which leads the government's campaign to increase the employment of disabled people, overstated its figure, by 3.5.

The labor ministry's guidelines limit the disabled employees who can be counted for the hiring rate to those holding disability certificates, in principle.

After correcting the padded numbers, the disabled hiring rate was below 1.0 pct at more than half of the central government bodies.

"This is an unacceptable situation, as we are supposed to lead the private sector in expanding the employment of disabled people and opportunities for them," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a ministerial meeting on the issue.

The government will work to identify the cause of the counting irregularities, with third-party support, including from lawyers.

By October, the government will draw up preventive measures and plans for hiring disabled people in an effort to resolve the shortages by the end of next year.

Speaking at a separate government meeting, labor minister Katsunobu Kato said all government agencies need to work together to achieve the legal standard and provide greater opportunities for disabled people. The required rate was raised to 2.5 pct for fiscal 2018.

Local governments are expected to review their own situation by October.

The scandal has provoked harsh criticism from disabled people. The National Federation of Mental Health and Welfare Party in Japan released a statement slamming the government for undermining the trust of the country's disabled employment system. Jiji Press