Japanese firms now legally obliged to meet needs of disabled customers

Welcome to the 21st century.

Jeez.......what a misconception it is about Japan being a super advanced country.

They will be allowing dual family surnames next,lol.

This wasn't already a requirement??????

Finally. But I’m sure it will not change anything. They still have steps to get to elevators in Japan. There are steps to go into most shops as well. What are these places going to do. Now physically challenged will feel the same “mindokusai” feeling foreigners get when we enter a place seeing it’s a law and can’t be ignored..

Would it be considered “excessive burden” on the railway company if a hundred disabled people in wheelchairs requested support for riding the train at the same time from one particular station?

Would it be considered “excessive burden” on the railway company if a hundred disabled people in wheelchairs.....

The World Wheelchair Basketball Tournament....

However, it is acceptable for bus, train and other public transportation operators to refuse to assist if the request is outside the scope of their services, such as taking someone directly home from a station or helping them do their shopping.

I can truly imagine this actually happening here. There are plenty of Japanese "Karens" and I have personally seen staff in a number of places, grocery stores to hotels, and on airlines, bend over backwards to accommodate some people. Granted they seem like the exception to the rule, as most of the disabled people I have come across in Japan are very gracious and understanding, more so than many of the public

Would it be considered “excessive burden” on the railway company if a hundred disabled people in wheelchairs requested support for riding the train at the same time from one particular station?

There is always one, in every crowd, who is going to pull some excessive example out of their hat.

Bet any money the railway would more than likely bend over backward to assist these people, just like any other customer.

Following the reconstruction of Kobe after the earthquake, the city became a much better city for the disabled. Many more people in wheelchairs. Station maps in braille.

Japan on Monday began requiring companies by law to meet the needs of customers with disabilities

Began on Monday..............so what have the disabled been doing for the last 24 years? or 34 years, or however long the rest of the world been making changes to help out?

Slowly, reluctantly but Japan society is finally getting into the 20th century, a decade or so more and it may reach the 21st as well.

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

Mr KiplingToday  09:00 pm JST

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

That holds true in every country in the world.

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

It's called living in a society.

Try it some time.

Mr Kipling:

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

That's true of everything. You know that nice Ward Office you go to occasionally for paperwork, you pay for the staff salary; and the building; and the electricity to power the lighting. Same for the lights that keep the streets safe, and the trucks that take away the garbage... everything is paid for by taxes.

I can't even fathom what happens in your head that makes you think your comment is valid in any way.

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

Which is fine if the demands are reasonable. 99% of people are good people, so the only issue is the 1% of the disabled with Karen tendencies to make unrealistic demands.

As an actual example of a contested issue I think is unreasonable, a disabled man sued JR Oita because he had to phone in advance for someone to come to an unmanned station to help him onto the train. He said the lack of staff at the station, unmanned stations are very common in inaka proper, meant he couldn't just ride any train when he felt like it like an able bodied person can. Making him phone for help was in his eyes "discrimination".

I remember a decade ago a man or a woman in a wheelchair was denied membership to Konami or Joyfit health club because the staff claimed they couldn't guarantee they'd be able to help him or her if they needed extra assistance.

I wonder if that case had anything to do with this broader and more inclusive law.

And the expense for this will be passed on to the rest of us.

Someone is learning how society works. Congratulations. The rest of us did that as young people, but better late than never.

Does this include wheel chair ramps, and lower curbs at crossing for wheel chair access on public streets?

Last summer I had a visitor from the U.S. who used a wheelchair and her companion who was legally blind (meaning having some vision.) They had traveled the length of Japan. They were both impressed with how well they had been able to get around and the amount of help available to them. They claimed that Japan was much better at accommodating those with disabilities than the U.S. was. My own experience with my elderly mother in the U.S. echoed their experience. As often happens, Japan gets ready and gets things in place before changing the law.

This was done 30 years ago in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990

Meet the needs of disabled customers?

What if that costs ¥10,000,000 and the business has has two customers in its history?

From my house to the station there have been those yellow tactile paving stones installed. About 3 km in total. How much did this cost? For who? In 22 years I have yet to see one blind person walking on that road.

From my house to the station there have been those yellow tactile paving stones installed. About 3 km in total. How much did this cost? For who? In 22 years I have yet to see one blind person walking on that road.

Good. Now the one blind person who finally does walk that road won't accidentally walk into the street and get hit by a bus.

From my house to the station there have been those yellow tactile paving stones installed. About 3 km in total. How much did this cost? For who? In 22 years I have yet to see one blind person walking on that road.

Maybe, perhaps, you need your eyesight checked. It should have been done when they laid the walk in the first place. Blame the civil engineers for being "blind" to the needs of the people!