Japan speeds up barrier-free initiatives ahead of Paralympics

Lol,

I remember the London and Rio paralympics weren't even shown in Japan.

After all.....the local media would like to portray everyone over here as able-bodied.

I think they are missing the point, not all disabled people are in wheelchairs, they need to make sure there are facilities correct for all types of disabled people.

Try using escalators and elevators around Shibuya station. Any person capable of walking and not carrying anything heavy can get through the system in a half hour or so. If you are in a wheelchair or trying to use a carry case to bring something heavy it is an amazing challenge. Dead end escalators, lacking elevators, and the number of times you must turn your ticket in so you can leave and come back in a different exit, only to be foiled again and again is heartbreaking to say the least.

A small % of the population use wheelchairs when you consider things in reality, but many business and facilities have undergone a huge burden to accommodate those with wheel chair enabled mobility, can you imagine the burden if every minority group was catered to?

Nothing sinister in my post just pointing out something.

Now there are also those who are disabled whos disabilty does not impose burdens on shops and rail stations etc and their disability is not obvious but there is no benefit or advantage to be had by the local and national govt to be catering to them on a large international scale on the world stage. So they will continue to have to deal with their lot on the side wont they Abe and co?

I remember the London and Rio paralympics weren't even shown in Japan.

I guess you don't get NHK. It was on everynight

Four workers (not counting Koike) to assist a wheelchair to get on a bus?! Hardly what I'd call "barrier free". Wasn't there a labour shortage in this country?

Its not just disabled users who have trouble navigating Japans' Stations, though also Parents with Baby Buggies..... so a Barrier free approach ,and better directions, may have benefits for both Disabled and Able-Bodied people alike.

And when it's over, they'll remove them, as one hotel stated last year!

There are many smaller stations in Tokyo with no lifts or even escalators, just stairs !

When I visited in 2018 with my partner who suffers from arthritis, I had to manipulate both our heavy cases across the metro on a few occasions, even the big stations have some very disability un-friendly layouts.

I'm very able, but it was sometimes a struggle.

Knowing the Olympics were coming we discussed on many occasions how the less able-bodied visitors and even the para-olympians themselves might have trouble getting around Tokyo.