Japan

As a developed country that is a major donor in the region, the AbilityAP’s major involvement with Japan is through its role as a donor country and to seek out examples of good practice. Through the ILO/Japan Fund, two disability projects have been funded, one in Cambodia, simply referred to as the Disability Resource Team and the second was the ILO/Japan Technical Consultation on Vocational Training and Employment of People with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, 14-16 January 2003. Representatives of the Japanese Government and employers’, trade unions’ and disabled persons’ organizations attended the meeting.

In November 2002, the Senior Specialist in Vocational Rehabilitation was the keynote speaker at the then Japanese Association for the Employment of Disabled Persons (JAED) annual research meeting. She presented the preliminary findings of the ILO’s 14-Country Study on the Status of Training and Employment of People with Disabilities.

As part of the research project, the ILO commissioned a paper on vocational rehabilitation in Japan and identified several examples of good practices from the country. Moving Forward: Toward Decent Work for People with Disabilities---Examples of Good Practices from Asia and the Pacific Region includes two of these examples. Both involve working with the social partners.

To see these documents and learn more on vocational training and employment in Japan, consult the following:

• Training and Employment of People with Disabilities: Japan 2002. Part of the AbilityAsia Country Study Series, 2003 (DRAFT) (pdf)
• Japanese Association for Employment of Persons with Disabilities
  Policy Can Make a Difference---But Employers Sometimes Need Help Following the Laws in Japan (pdf)
• Kanagawa Regional Council of the Japanese Electrical, Electronic and Information Union
  Commitment to Community Service---A Trade Union Helps Open the Employment Field to People with Disabilities in Japan (pdf)

For more information about disability related laws and policies and the country consult our National Laws and Information pages.

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