Japan Press Weekly

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2019 July 24 - 30 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

House of Councilors will undergo renovation for newly-elected members with severe disabilities

The directors of the House of Councilors Rules and Administration Committee on July 25 in a meeting agreed to start renovations in the Diet building and introduce some changes in the House of Councilors rules, including permission for caregivers to attend to the needs of lawmakers in the chamber. These agreements are aimed at ensuring that Dietmembers with severe disabilities will be able to carry out their duties.

At the committee meeting, Japanese Communist Party Upper House member Tamura Tomoko said that after three severely disabled candidates (two on the Reiwa Shinsengumi ticket and one on the unified opposition ticket) were elected in the latest election, the need has arisen for the Upper House to implement exceptional measures in order to help these newly-elected members work to their full capacity in the Diet.

Items which the committee agreed upon in regard to the Upper House renovation include the setting up of necessary handicap and wheelchair ramps in the Upper House building and the installation of electric power sources for medical applications and for electric wheelchairs in the main hall and committee rooms in the Upper House building.

Furthermore, the revised Upper House rules, if implemented as agreed, will allow the newly-elected lawmakers with severe disabilities to sit close to the doors of the chamber and committee rooms. In addition, they will also be permitted to entrust their caregivers with speaking for and against the subject and to select Upper House staff to act for them when voting.