The “hard infrastructure” for people with disabilities in Tokyo, such as in the many subway stations, is quite well developed. There is often a lack of will in many other things.
Foto: Alamy Stock Photo
In front of the elevators there is a sign with a message that encourages people: “People in wheelchairs can use any of these elevators.” At the entrance gate, too, it was noticeable how smooth and level the stone floor that leads into the House of Representatives is. And the safety barriers that can only be passed with an accreditation are wide enough for every type of wheelchair. In the House of Lords of Japan, it would appear at first glance, anyone can make politics.
On the seventh floor, Takanori Yokosawa offers his fist in greeting. “Did you make it to the top?” He asks, visibly smiling through his mask, and shortly afterwards almost replies himself: “We have gotten a lot better here over the last few years!” strongest opposition force – is one of three wheelchair users in the Japanese Chamber of Parliament. There have never been so many in politics in the East Asian country. For Yokosawa, this alone means getting better: “The buildings were converted for us. There is now a ramp in the plenary hall so that we can better get to the podium for our speeches. «At the permanent seats for the members of the parliament, power supplies have been installed so that electric wheelchairs can be charged. Accessible toilets and canteens are now standard. But the 49-year-old politician is still not satisfied. “I think when it comes to overall accessibility, we are still worse than other rich countries. Hopefully something will change with the Paralympics. «Tokyo needs it, says Yokosawa. No, the city deserves it.
Once a Paralympian, now a politician: Takanori Yokosawa in his Tokyo office
Photo: Felix Lill
Nowhere in the world live so many people in a metropolitan area as in the region around Japan’s capital. Around twelve million live in Tokyo itself. Due to various neighboring cities, of which Yokohama, Saitama and Kawasaki are only the largest, the metropolitan region has a total of around 36 million inhabitants. Most people with a disability live here worldwide. According to the general population share of 15 percent estimated by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo area should have 5.4 million people with a disability. More than Hamburg, Munich and Vienna combined.
Much has been promised to the many people. When Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in late summer 2013, the successful applicants announced that Japan’s capital would become the “most liveable city in the world” – a role model for other metropolises. In an international comparison of quality of life, Tokyo has done well for a long time. But what about those people who, two weeks after the end of the Summer Olympics, are to take center stage with the Paralympics – people with a disability?
Those who walk through Tokyo for the first time are often impressed. Almost everywhere there are blind strips on sidewalks, which people with a visual impairment can use to navigate through the city. And if you compare the subway network with London, New York or other world cities, Tokyo is actually better off. “In the last few years in particular, a lot more elevators have been built into the stations. There are also more ramps now, ”says Yokosawa in his office.
But this is only the “hard infrastructure,” emphasized the MP. »It looks worse for themes that cannot be easily installed. Sometimes they don’t let me into restaurants because I’m in a wheelchair. You are simply turned away. It also happens to me in onsen baths. «Unlike in the EU, there is no anti-discrimination law in Japan that would prohibit such unequal treatment. “A lot of people are unsure how to deal with people with a disability. And then they avoid embarrassment simply by being withdrawn. “
Takanori Yokosawa is someone who can compare. He was a 2010 Vancouver Paralympic athlete in skiing. As an athlete he has visited several regions of the world and as a politician he is in contact with representatives from other countries. When he thinks about Japan’s efforts to become an inclusive society, he can’t hide his disappointment: “So many guidelines have been put in place. The education system should be equally accessible to all children. There should be no barriers in sport. But none of that is a reality yet. And the reason is always that there is a lack of money. I think there is also a lack of will. “
The poor performance of Japan in the Paralympic Games can be explained in a similar way. In the all-time Olympic medal table, the country ranks tenth, but only 17th at the Paralympics. Five years ago, Japan did not win a single gold medal in Rio and, in a national comparison, only landed in the lower half, behind several developing countries that are currently in disability sports, where expensive equipment is often lacking and tends to perform less well. Why is that?
The sociologist and expert on Paralympic sports, Ian Brittain, believes that there is a connection to the appreciation for people with disabilities in general. In an article from 2006, the professor at Coventry University put forward the thesis that participation and success in the Paralympics are an indicator of a country’s economic and social development, especially when it comes to the inclusion of all members of society. Japan would therefore not be very far yet.
Hanno Jentzsch would hardly disagree. In a video conversation, the Japanologist at the University of Vienna, who recently lived in Tokyo, said: “Ableism is still very pronounced in Japan.” The term describes the social evaluation of people based on their abilities, which tends to discriminate against people with a disability . »In Japan you often cling to a certain standard and then see it as ‘normal’. When it comes to disability, a distinction is often made between ›normal‹ and ›disabled people‹. «Jentzsch observes this, for example, in schools or at work, where a lack of flexibility in dealing with other behaviors makes it difficult for people with disabilities to be included. Statistics from MP Yokosawa’s office also show that in various areas of Japan, only around two percent of the workforce has a disability. The majority therefore remain effectively excluded from the labor market. »The idea of inclusion has only been spreading for a few years, so with a little delay compared to Western countries. But the idea arrived. It just takes a little longer to implement, ”explains Jentzsch.
And probably the starting point of Japan is also a different one. It wasn’t until 2019 that the government passed a law requiring the state to pay compensation to up to 25,000 people sterilized between 1948 and 1996 due to an intellectual disability. At the end of the 1990s, those responsible had argued that this behavior was legally compliant. For a long time, however, repentance was hardly the focus. The situation is similar with the topic of diversity, which received little attention until the decision that the Olympic and Paralympic Games should come to Tokyo. For a long time Japan was dominated by the narrative that one was a homogeneous society in which most of the members were similar. This is how conservatives like to explain the low crime rate or the relatively good social cohesion in communities to this day. But for a long time those who face special challenges on a daily basis have also been neglected for a long time.
Hiroyoshi Shinohara still notices this today, as the games of »Tokyo 2020«, which were postponed by a year due to the pandemic, together with their official motto »Unity in Diversity«, have long dominated the Japanese summer. “I’m mad at the government,” says the 60-year-old. Shinohara is the chairman of the non-governmental organization “Kurumaisu shakai wo kangaeru kai”, which translates into German: “Association for a society that respects wheelchair users.” Has the motto in the name become reality? “Unfortunately not yet,” Shinohara replies via email. Actually, the man, who has been in a wheelchair since 2015 after a cerebral hemorrhage, wanted to show what was still a problem on a tour through Tokyo. But the explosion in the number of cases in the pandemic is making him shy away from leaving his apartment in western Tokyo. So he gave tips on what to see to understand the situation for people with reduced mobility. “Rail travel has gotten much better on some lines,” writes Shinohara. But you still have to plan your trip carefully – in terms of exits, elevators and transfer options. Spontaneous mobility remains unrealistic. Also because various buildings are not barrier-free.
Disabled sport is shrinking: Due to Corona, the German association is recording a sharp decline in membership. The Paralympic teams are also getting smaller
Where the infrastructure is good, it is not uncommon for people to destroy the theoretical accessibility. “People often change to toilets that are accessible to everyone and thus occupy the rooms that are actually reserved for people with reduced mobility.” Politician Yokosawa has called it quick boundaries. At the bus stops, the timetables are hung up so high that you cannot see them from a wheelchair. And usually there is no roofing. “We’ll have to wait in the rain,” says Shinohara angrily.
It is not uncommon for you to have to wait longer with an impairment. Because not every bus driver seems to want to unfold the ramp necessary for wheelchair users to get on when stopping. After all, the drivers would have to explain themselves if they didn’t keep the timetables on time. “There are still a lot of structural problems here,” says MP Yokosawa. He also means how the Paralympic host country deals with parasports as well as the legal provisions and their concrete implementation. Upon request, the organizers of “Tokyo 2020” stated that they had planned for over a year and a half together with those affected, experts and politicians how to build an inclusive city. They haven’t thought all the way to the end.
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