Japan Press Weekly

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2016 May 18 - 24 [POLITICS]

Koike’s proposal for Diet committee to listen to ALS patient is accepted

The Upper House Health Committee on May 16 decided to call a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to next week’s committee session as an unsworn witness. This decision was made in response to a proposal by Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira.

The committee is discussing a government-sponsored bill to revise the law to “comprehensively support” persons with disabilities. Koike, also an Upper House member, stressed the need to directly hear disabled persons’ opinions about the bill, calling on representatives of other political parties to invite to the committee ALS patient Okabe Hiroki, a vice chair of Japan ALS Association (JALSA). Those representatives agreed to Koike’s suggestion.

ALS is an intractable disease. If a person contracts the disease, his/her muscles will gradually lose their functions. Okabe is on a respirator and is incapable of speaking. However, with the support of a helper and communication devices such as a board with letters or symbols on it, Okabe can communicate clearly.

The Lower House Health Committee, which debated the measure ahead of the Upper House, disapproved of a plan to listen to Okabe on the grounds that it takes “too much time” to communicate with him.

Past related article:
> More than 40,000 yen a month will be imposed on severe intractable disease patients [December 1, 2013]